Residents of Dhaka’s Mohakhali have blocked the road demanding an end to water shortages in the area and expansion of local roads.
The Uttam AK Khandker Road in front of Govt Titumir College was blocked for over a half-hour around 4:30 am on Sunday. The protest brought traffic on the major thoroughfare to a halt, reports bdnews24.com.
Police spoke to the protesters and were able to remove them from the road around 5 pm.
Nearly 50 men and women had taken up positions on the road for the protest.
“We have had water issues in our area for a long time,” said Nargis Akter, a resident of Mohakhali Block-C. “For 12 days, we haven’t gotten water jugs either. We want a quick solution.”
Mohakhali residents block road to demand an end to water shortage
Another protester, Salma Khatun, said, “WASA officials don’t understand how difficult it is to get through these hot days without water. They came and inspected the problem, but it wasn’t solved. We don’t get water. That is why we are taking to the streets.”
Local resident Md Abu Taher had other complaints as well. “The road from Mohakhali Block-C to Hazaribari is so narrow that an ambulance can’t get through. We want this problem resolved," he said.
“We have been forced to block the road because our problems have not been resolved,” said Md Abu Sayed. “We are holding this protest out of frustration.”
Banani police came to the protest site and asked the protesters to clear the road.
Traffic began moving again around 5 pm.
“Agitated residents of Mohakhali Block-C demanding an end to a long-term water shortage and the expansion of a narrow road in Hazaribari blocked the road in front of Titumir College around 4:30 pm. We came. There were no notable incidents.”
There have been persistent water issues in the area for the past week or so and WASA is working on it, said Mohammad Towhid Elahi, an executive engineer for the Dhaka WASA.
“There are some water issues in this area when it gets hot. Those who live near the main road get water, but other homes do not. We haven’t been able to run the pumps for 24 hours straight because of the power outages. This is why water service has been interrupted.”
