The wasting of fund in Solar Streetlight Installation Project in Betagi Municipality, Barguna is alleged which started aimed at addressing the impacts of climate cbelieved
Questions have been raised about the project's effectiveness due to the lack of proper maintenance, irregularities, and failure to assess local needs, actual conditions, environmental impact, research, and expert opinions. Despite the project's noble intentions, its arbitrary implementation has rendered it useless to the residents, resulting in a significant waste of climate fund resources.
In this coastal region, funded by the Climate Change Trust, solar streetlights were installed on various important roads in the municipality. However, within five to six months of installation, the lights began to malfunction and disappear. Although there was a provision for periodic checks to ensure the lights were functioning, neither the implementing agency nor the municipality followed up after installation. The local civil society believes that effective maintenance, with input from affected residents and experts, could mitigate much of the damage and issues with this climate fund project.
On-site observations reveal that darkness engulfs the roads after sunset, leading to an increase in accidents, theft, snatching, and other criminal activities. The project's main objectives were to combat the effects of climate change, reduce carbon emissions, and promote the use of solar energy. However, the project's goals have been largely undermined. The residents are deeply frustrated by this outcome.
The project, titled with buzzwords like "climate," "change," "impact," and "mitigation," was funded by the Climate Change Trust Fund (CCTF). However, there is little evidence that its necessity was thoroughly evaluated. Locals claim this is a recurring issue here.
According to Betagi Municipality, in the 2019-2020 financial year, the project was approved by the Climate Change Wing of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. It involved the installation of eco-friendly solar streetlights at a cost of Tk 125,500 per unit, totaling Tk 99,14,500. On December 15, 2019, a contracting firm from Bakerganj, Messrs. Upokul Solar System, received the work order through a municipal tender and completed the work in February 2023.
A visit to Ward No. 9 of Betagi Municipality revealed that, along the paved road from the Liberation War Memorial “Durjoy Betagi” to the residence of former mayor Shahjahan Kabir, eight solar streetlights were installed. However, poles numbered 63, 64, 65, and 66 have no trace of existence, while pole number 61 lies submerged in water, with its components mired in mud and water, in a deplorable state.
Saiful Alam, a timber worker from the Kachua-Betagi old ferry ghat area, said, “We don’t understand how this happened. The lights on these poles never worked since installation. The work was done during the tenure of former mayor ABM Golam Kabir.”
Further inspections across various areas of Betagi Municipality revealed that out of 79 solar streetlights installed along roads, 20 poles have completely disappeared. While some poles remain standing, most of their lights are non-functional or barely flickering. Some poles have fallen into water, and some panels are broken. This is the state of nearly all the roads in the municipality.
Residents allege that despite repeated complaints to the municipality, no action has been taken. Even when cyclones have damaged the electrical infrastructure, no measures were taken to repair the solar streetlight poles or their components.
The municipal authorities claim a shortage of manpower, stating that one permanent electrician and one temporary lineman cannot maintain everything. Alamgir Hossain, a local resident, said, “It’s so dark we can’t see anything. If the lights at every corner were working properly, this wouldn’t happen.”
Abul Kalam, a shopkeeper at Kabi Nazrul Secondary School intersection, said, “The pole in front of my shop broke down after installation. Despite informing the authorities, they didn’t take any action. We tried to fix it ourselves but couldn’t get the light to work.”
Investigations revealed that, despite being awarded through a tender process, the project seems to have become a mere paper exercise. The installed solar streetlights are not durable, and the use of low-quality materials from China led to issues within six months of completion. Even when the lights malfunctioned, no one took responsibility for repairs. Despite such expensive equipment going to waste, the authorities seem unconcerned. As a result, locals feel the project has plunged them into darkness instead of providing light.
When contacted, Md. Sohrab Hossain, proprietor of the contracting firm, claimed that high-quality GI pipes and top-grade materials imported from China were used in the project. He suggested that natural disasters might have caused the damage. However, he acknowledged that Chinese materials are cheaper and less durable, and using Japanese materials would have cost several times more, allowing for more lights to be installed within the same budget. He added that the contractor’s maintenance responsibility lasted only one year, after which the municipality was responsible for upkeep.
No opinions from councilors or affected residents were sought before the project’s approval or implementation. Masudur Rahman Khan, the then-panel mayor, stated that while the work was claimed to have been completed properly, a firsthand inspection would reveal how much of the Tk 1 crore project was actually executed. He heard that the materials’ supplier was pre-selected during the project’s approval process.
Regarding project approval and complaints, Betagi Municipality’s Executive Engineer Md. Jasim Uddin said that projects go through several stages of approval and that no project is approved without climate relevance. On the complaints, he stated that the solar streetlight installation was carried out transparently through a tender process, involving the Ministry of Environment and Forests and several government departments. However, if issues persist, the responsibility does not lie solely with the municipality.
Locals said the Solar Streetlight Project, funded by the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust, has failed to deliver benefits.
Prominent local figures involved in climate initiatives question whether projects like streetlight installation are directly relevant to addressing climate change or contribute significantly to its goals, raising concerns about both the project’s objectives and execution. The failure to assess local needs, actual conditions, and environmental impacts before implementation has led to the project’s inability to achieve its intended outcomes, resulting in a significant crisis and wastage of resources.
Regarding the benefits of the project in reducing the load on electrical transmission lines, Betagi Municipality’s electrician Babul Hossain said, “We hoped the project would reduce the number of transmission line lights and lower electricity bills. But there’s been no significant benefit. The same burden of bills remains.” Currently, the municipality pays Tk 50,000 monthly for 650 transmission line lights. Additionally, the cost of installing one solar streetlight could have funded five transmission line lights. Repairing a single solar streetlight costs at least Tk 2,500, which is often not feasible.
The project’s implementation has left various sections of society frustrated and disappointed. Assistant Prof Abul Basar Khan, President of Betagi Development Movement, said, “The project was taken without considering the local environment and needs, so it’s not benefiting the people. The fund’s money is going to waste.”
Mohsin Khan, General Secretary of the Betagi Upazila Anti-Corruption Committee, said that the lack of transparency and accountability in project approval and implementation is undermining the climate change fund’s objectives. Moreover, no input was sought from affected residents or experts during the project’s planning.
The Project was implemented around 2023. Since many officials involved at the ministry, department, and district levels have been transferred elsewhere, it was not possible to contact them despite efforts.
Betagi Municipality Administrator and UNO Harek Krishna Adhikari, being new to the role, declined to comment on the issue.
Locals believed that to recover from the project’s losses and resolve the crisis, it is urgent to contact the implementing agency or those experienced in such work, engage technicians to restore the lights, and ensure effective maintenance.
