Of rural bridge communication

After the end of the era of iron and concrete bridges witnessed during the British period, Bangladesh took considerably a longer time before entering the era of new-age bridges. Following the spectacular start of the Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge or the Bangabandhu Setu in 1998 and the Padma Multipurpose Bridge in 2022, the country eventually entered the state-of-the-art bridges. These are, in fact, national bridges --- in terms of both their strategic locations and the benefits the broad sections of people reap from them. Over two decades into the 21st century, Bangladesh can claim itself to be a country having an enviable connectivity network. It comprises both railway and road bridges built with concrete, steel, stainless steel or combinations of these materials. Over a dozen road bridges across rivers in different parts of the country have been set up to connect distant regions.

Alongside these inter-region road communications, the country's capital is awaiting the long-dreamt-of benefits set to come from the recently opened Dhaka Elevated Expressway, long- and mid-distance highways connecting the city with other urban centres, not to speak of the commutes by intra-city Dhaka elevated metro railway. Many high technology and long road bridges have been in operation for years. Compared to these veritable communication breakthroughs, the country's obscure towns and villages continue to remain stuck in their age-old mode of movement across rivers and canals.

Compared to the planned and long-term phases of progress in the cities and their peripheries, the vast rural expanses still remain plagued with an obstinate stagnation. The rural people do not dream of any radical change in their age-old communication system, and also in their lot. But as citizens of the country, they can at least expect to be free of the hazards of crossing bamboo bridges when returning home from fields or business. These bridges, also called 'sakos', are basically makeshift in nature. The elderly and infirm villagers avoid these wobbly structures to opt for boats miles away from many of these spots. Few school-going small children can muster the courage to walk over these bamboo bridges. But the teenage and post-teenage boys and girls are compelled to learn the techniques of using the 'sakos'.

Used as a means of crossing dying rivers and canals, those remaining dead without water, and also ditches, bamboo bridges are a major means of communication even in the 21st century. To speak without mincing words, the bamboo bridges are in place perhaps as a mockery of their awe-inspiring counterparts over rivers. People in hundreds of villages in Bangladesh are fully dependent on the 'sakos' during monsoon. Although it's on record that of the country's 87,223 villages, 70,000 are considered well connected through a web of rural roads, there is a flip side. During the rainy season, many of these dirt roads turn completely unusable. In such a situation, the villagers rush for bridges, either half-concrete or makeshift, built over flooded water bodies, to avoid the muddy roads.

Not all villages have bridges, concrete or makeshift, to facilitate movement of the passersby. Many of them go through untold sufferings while moving from one place to another. They have to negotiate the muddy and submerged roads. The irony is, even the villages with bridges in place have to suffer miserably thanks to the terrible condition of those bridges --- or 'sakos'.

Over the long span of time, Bangladesh villages have witnessed the emergence of a class of craftsmen skilled in visualising and constructing makeshift bridges. These bridge makers might be called indigenous architects dreaming of unique types of 'sakos' made of bamboos and wooden planks. Thanks to their imagination, these craftsmen are credited with building some of the long bamboo bridges in the country. The makeshift bridge in Belkuchi upazila under Sirajganj district is now popularly known as the longest such bridge in the country. In the highly developed regions elsewhere, it's strange to think of a bridge made with bamboo or wood. If such a bridge is deemed necessary on emergencies, they turn to prefabricated or bailey bridges. They might also think of the synthetic materials like polymer or plastic. With the easy availability of crude bricks and mortar, Bangladesh bridges in the Mughal period were constructed keeping in mind their permanence. Many still survive today.

In the inaccessible areas, makeshift bamboo or wooden bridges were widely in vogue in the past. Due to the non-availability of skilled craftsmen, these bridges over water bodies didn't last long. They would wear out in 10-15 years after their construction. According to people close to the making of these structures, 'sakos' nowadays are made in a way so that they do not wear out in a short time. It's because the rural concrete bridges start collapsing within years of their construction. The relevant authorities and their contractors who have been assigned the task of building the bridges are found resorting to corrupt practices during the construction work. As a result, these sloppily built concrete bridges start showing signs of decay in a couple of years. Besides, due to disagreement over payments for the job, the progress of work witnesses an abrupt halt. Thanks to this abhorrent practice, incomplete concrete bridges are a common sight in Bangladesh villages. Compared to these distressing scenes, hundreds of people engaged in constructing a long 'sako' on the basis of self-help emerges as a magnificent view.

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