An important bridge for five remote villages in Lama upazila of Bandarban has become useless, as a portion of dirt road connecting both sides of the bridge dissolved in Faranga canal. The monsoon rain this year caused a temporary rise of water level in the canal, and caused a lot of trouble for villagers who have to commute.
Some part of the dirt road, which was raised through earth-filling to be parallel to the bridge, washed away and dropped by three to four feet below at different spots. This happened just six months after the construction of the bridge.
The ineffectiveness of the bridge disrupted road communication for Remong Marmapara, Muslimpara, Moddhom para, Najirampara and Ekdaikka-para villages, said Gajalia Union Parishad Chairman Bathoyai Ching Marma.
Farmers who transport their harvest, and around 300 school-going children of the five villages, are the main victims of the bridge becoming unusable, said locals.
A trader, Mong Mong Marma from Remong Marmapara village, said: "We are facing a lot of trouble after the roads connecting the bridge washed away. The bridge is essential for us to move freely for our daily business."
Another local, Uoang Marma, said: "After restoring earth on the road, we need guide-walls to protect it from further damage by monsoon rains and rise in water-level of Faranga canal."
Ekhing Marma, a schoolboy of the same village, said: "We can manage to go to our school in the dry seasons, albeit with much difficulty, even if we don't use the bridge. But this becomes almost impossible in the rainy season, when the canal water rises and submerges many parts of the dirt road."
Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief provided funds of Tk30 lakh to construct the bridge in the year 2018, said Project Implementation Officer (PIO) Md Majnur Rahman of Lama upazila. "A new project for the land-filling on both sides of the bridge will be taken up" added PIO Majnur.
