Sharif Ahmed, South Surma (Sylhet)

Large potholes and massive craters have rendered critical roadways in Dakshin Surma, Sylhet, virtually impassable, triggering a surge in accidents and fatalities.

Out of the 36-kilometer stretch connecting Sylhet to Sadipur Bazar, roughly 18 kilometers have turned into a wretched state. Heavy downpours combined with the continuous movement of heavy vehicles have created massive potholes, causing long-distance buses traveling the Dhaka-Sylhet highway to face accidents almost daily, particularly during the early morning and nighttime hours.

According to the Sylhet Roads and Highways Department, authorities have occasionally attempted to patch craters with brick chips, but these temporary fixes wash away shortly after heavy rain returns. Over the past 15 days alone, 19 lives have been lost on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway. Recently, 10 people were killed in separate bus and truck accidents caused by severe craters in the Osmani Nagar and Lalabazar areas.

Additionally, CNG-run auto-rickshaws and Legunas face frequent mishaps on the Sylhet-Fenchuganj regional highway and the Dakshin Surma Pahari Line regional road. Drivers frequently lose control and veer into roadside ditches or collide with oncoming vehicles while trying to maneuver around gaping potholes. The 3-kilometer stretch from Moglabazar to Kataipur on this route has become entirely unsuitable for transport, forcing small and medium vehicles to take severe risks.

A spot visit revealed that critical entry points and connectors—including the Humayun Rashid Chattar entry point, the Dhaka-Sylhet highway, the Sylhet-Fenchuganj road, the Sylhet Central Bus Terminal, and the Kadamtali Freedom Fighter Point—are severely degraded due to a lack of timely maintenance.

"Patients in ambulances, students, pedestrians, and general commuters are forced to travel through these dangerous craters at great risk," said a local teacher who uses the road regularly. "At night, reduced vehicle headlight visibility makes accidents even more likely. We urge the authorities to repair these deadly potholes before more major accidents occur."

Transport driver Ruhul Amin noted that poor road conditions rapidly destroy vehicles and make driving across multiple large potholes extremely hazardous, leading to frequent accidents.

A recent passenger who was injured after a rickshaw overturned on a broken road shared her ordeal, saying, "I was returning home by auto-rickshaw from a relative's house. To give space to an oncoming van, our vehicle's wheel slipped into a broken crater, flipping the auto-rickshaw over. Five of us inside were injured."

Beyond the major highways, rural roads across all eight unions of Dakshin Surma have also deteriorated to the point where vehicular movement has nearly ground to a halt. The Conscious Citizens' Forum of Dakshin Surma voiced deep frustration, noting that locals have had to repair several culverts out of their own pockets. They pointed out that deep potholes not only cause frequent road accidents but also destroy vehicle parts, resulting in heavy financial losses for owners.

When contacted, Khairul Bashar Md. Saddam Hossain, Executive Engineer of the Roads and Highways Department in Sylhet, explained that while potholes on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway are temporarily patched with brick chips, continuous heavy rainfall prevents them from lasting. He assured that permanent repairs will be initiated once the monsoon season ends.