582km Sylhet roads damaged in floods

With the flood waters receding, the picture of losses started emerging and according to initial estimates around 582km of roads got damaged in Sylhet.

The water level of the Surma and Kushiyara rivers decreased at all points on Monday. However, most areas are still submerged.

Apart from the road communication system, the floods have caused severe damage to paddy and fish in Sylhet.

According to sources concerned, about 582km of roads in the district were submerged in the flood. Of these, about 250km in the Sylhet City Corporation area, 267km under the Local Government Engineering Department and 65km of 10 roads under the Roads and Highways Department were submerged. Most of these roads have been damaged. Besides, two culverts are broken.

However, the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) have not been able to determine the exact amount of damage as most of the roads have been submerged so far.

Meanwhile, the SCC has formed a high-level coordination committee to repair the damaged roads, rebuild the damaged houses, compile a list of damaged houses and determine what needs to be done to keep the city flood-free.

Md Enamul Kabir, executive engineer of LGED in Sylhet, said the full picture of the damage could not be known immediately as there was water on the roads.

"It will take some more time to know the whole picture. However, the floods have caused extensive damage to 267km of 111 roads. Besides, two culverts have been broken in Sadar and Companiganj upazilas," he added.

Vising Kanaighat-Suraighat road in Kanaighat Upazila under LGED on Sunday, it can be seen that the road is broken in places due to water. Large holes have been created in the middle of the roads.  

Mustafizur Rahman, an executive engineer of the Sylhet office of the RHD, said, "About 65km of our roads have been submerged in water. No damage has been reported as the water has not yet receded completely. However, all the roads that have sunk need to be repaired."

Some 250km of roads in 14 wards of the SCC area have been inundated by the floods. SCC Chief Executive Officer Bidhayok Roy Chowdhury said that work is underway to determine the overall damage caused by the floods.

The city corporation held a meeting on Sunday afternoon to discuss the flood damage.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, a parliament member from Sylhet-1, virtually took part in the meeting with Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury in the chair.

In this regard, Ariful said on Monday that in order to prevent flood waters from entering the metropolis during the coming monsoon season, it was decided to raise the level of river banks. Besides, proposals will be sent to the government for excavation of the River Surma.

He said a report would be sent to the ministry on the list of damaged roads, and houses and what to do in the flooded areas of the city.