When will the manhole misery end across the city?

In 2022, a diplomat from the German embassy tweeted a brief message about a mishap he experienced due to an open manhole in Dhaka. That single incident prompted the covers to be fixed on open manholes in the upscale Gulshan area within hours. Such accidents are not new; they occur on a regular basis.

In 2014, a child fell into an open manhole in Shahjahanpur, and in 2015, another child died after falling into an open drain in Shyampur. The harrowing efforts to rescue them garnered intense media attention at the time. Following those incidents, officials from the Dhaka City Corporation took action, but over time, without new incidents to trigger concern, the issue of unsafe manholes slips back into the shadows. As a result, the long-standing misery regarding manholes across the country remains unresolved.

If investigated it will be revealed that negligence and a lack of oversight are the main reasons such tragic incidents keep occurring, costing some people their lives or causing severe injuries. However, a glance at urban areas across the country reveals that this pattern of negligence is not limited to Dhaka; it exists in all cities.

Typically, during the monsoon season, heavy rains lead to frequent injuries from falls into manholes, yet these incidents rarely make it to the media or spark any discussions. The recent injury of the German embassy's deputy head of mission has dealt a significant blow to the city corporation regarding this issue.

Manholes are essential for drainage in urban areas. However, due to improper installation processes in Dhaka and other divisional and district cities, both vehicles and pedestrians suffer various hardships. Open manholes pose a death trap for everyone, especially for children, the elderly, and visually impaired individuals.

In the capital, there is an average of one manhole in every 30 meters. Dhaka WASA has 41,000 manholes in its 350 kilometers of underground drainage and 880 kilometers of sewer lines. The two city corporations have more than 33,000 additional manholes. Moreover, there are some manholes under the Public Works Department and the National Housing Authority. Although these manholes are fitted with covers, they often go missing within a short period. Organized groups steal them and sell them to scrap dealers, and they also break for various reasons. Overall, at least 10% of manholes remain uncovered at all times. Due to the authorities' negligence, these covers are not replaced quickly. Additionally, annual road repairs have caused the road surface to rise at least 2 to 3 feet above the manhole covers, creating large holes on the manhole covers. Vehicles frequently fall into these holes, leading to accidents.

Accidents do not occur only from falling into manholes; workers also face tragic deaths while cleaning drains. The stagnant water and waste in drains generate toxic gases, and without any safety measures in place, workers are exposed to hazardous situations.

In this context, the city corporation and WASA authorities need to be more vigilant and sincere in their work. They should construct manholes in a way that aligns with the road for easy waste drainage. Additionally, they must adopt modern engineering system to resolve manhole issues. There is a pressing need for greater accountability and skill development in their operations.