Flood leaves 519km of roads, embankments damaged in Ctg

As floodwaters recede across Chattogram, the scale of destruction wrought by days of relentless rain and hill runoff is only now becoming clear.
Joint assessments by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) show that more than 519 kilometres of roads and embankments across the district have been damaged, either partially or completely. 
Officials estimate at least Tk541.78 crore will be needed for urgent repair and reconstruction work to restore connectivity and check further erosion.

Rural roads bear the brunt
LGED figures show 614 roads across 15 upazilas were damaged, affecting nearly 490 kilometres of the rural road network, alongside 180 bridges and culverts. 
In many places, the structures themselves remain intact, but the approach roads leading to them have simply washed away, leaving villages cut off despite the floodwaters subsiding.
Satkania, Banshkhali, Chandanaish and Lohagara were worst affected, with significant damage also reported in Anwara, Boalkhali, Sitakunda and Fatikchhari.
LGED Executive Engineer Mohammad Jamal Uddin described the situation in Satkania as particularly alarming. 
“Road communication there has been devastated. Many roads have simply been torn apart by strong currents,” he said, adding that around 47 kilometres of roads across 61 routes were damaged in the upazila alone, with losses estimated at Tk50 crore.
Banshkhali suffered comparable losses, he said, with roughly 46 kilometres of roads across 58 routes badly hit, while Chandanaish and Lohagara had also seen extensive damage. 
“Our immediate priority is to restore roads that have become completely disconnected, so people can move and transport essential goods,” he said, adding that repairing the damaged roads, bridges and culverts would cost LGED an estimated Tk390 crore.

A fresh threat from embankment erosion
Even as the waters retreat, a new danger is emerging along the district’s riverbanks. Residents along the Sangu, Halda and Karnaphuli rivers, as well as several hill streams, now face the prospect of losing homes and farmland to erosion.
BWDB’s preliminary survey identified breaches at 269 locations, affecting more than 22 kilometres of embankments and riverbanks, with the coastal belt of Banshkhali and riverside stretches in Satkania and Lohagara worst hit. The authority estimates Tk151.78 crore will be required for emergency protection and repair.
Under BWDB Division-1, some 6.63 kilometres of embankments were damaged at 74 points, needing around Tk23 crore. Division-2 fared worse, with nearly seven kilometres damaged at 93 locations, at an estimated cost of Tk87 crore – the highest of any division.
The Rangamati division, which also covers parts of Chattogram, recorded erosion at 102 points along the Karnaphuli River and canals including the Ichhamati, Shilk and Boalkhali, affecting 8.53 kilometres at an estimated repair cost of Tk42 crore.
BWDB Executive Engineer Shawkat Ibne Sahid said some sites would need permanent solutions rather than stopgap fixes. “Erosion has become severe in certain areas. Permanent embankments will be needed, and new projects may be taken up for the worst-affected locations,” he said.