Unfinished Drains Spark Fear and Anger in Sariakandi

As the monsoon approaches, residents of Sahapara in Bogura's Sariakandi Municipality are living in constant fear. Open drains, dug for a renovation project three months ago, have been left unfinished, causing severe waterlogging, property damage, and grave safety hazards for children.

The prolonged excavation has turned local roads into muddy traps, especially following early seasonal rains. Residents report that stagnant water in the deep trenches is beginning to undermine the foundations of adjacent houses. Local shopkeeper Prasad Saha said the flooding ruined his grocery stock, causing financial losses of up to Tk 30,000.

Safety is another critical concern. "My granddaughter fell into the open trench three times, and just today, another neighbor's child fell in. We live in constant fear of a major accident," said resident Ganesh Saha.

The drainage and road renovation project, which spans the Sahapara, Bagber, and Hindukandi areas, began over a year ago. Sariakandi Municipality Engineer Shahidul Islam admitted that only 50 percent of the work is complete. Although the original deadline was February of this year, authorities have extended it to June. Islam cited the need to prioritize the Bagber road for municipal garbage trucks as the reason for the delay in Sahapara.

Local BNP President Shahadat Hossain Soni condemned the slow pace of the project, urging immediate completion to ease the public's suffering and mitigate the risks to children.

Following widespread complaints, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Municipal Administrator Sumaiya Ferdous inspected the site on Friday to address the crisis. "I have visited the ongoing work in Sahapara and explicitly instructed the contractors to resume operations starting tomorrow," she assured the residents.