Paving the path to prosperity - Upgrading rural roads in Bangladesh

Transcription

1. SPECIAL EDITION ON RURAL CONNECTIVITY IsDB SUCCESS STORY SERIES : NO. 31 (MAY 2016) Paving the path to prosperity: Upgrading rural roads in Bangladesh Islamic Development Bank Group Despite the rapid growth of its cities, Bangladesh remains a predominantly rural country. Around 66 per cent of Bangladeshis live in rural areas1 and many of these people are farmers, or depend on agriculture for at least part of their livelihoods. Agriculture is also important to the national economy, contributing around 16 per cent of gross domestic product.2 But efforts to stimulate Bangladesh’s agriculture sector have been hampered by a combination of factors, especially poor infrastructure in rural areas and limited access to markets. This has left many people unable to lift themselves out of poverty. Over the last 25 years, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has been providing financing for eight projects to improve rural feeder roads across Bangladesh. Many of these projects have focused on Sylhet Division (also known as Greater Sylhet) in north-east Bangladesh. Much of this financing was used to level and surface poor-quality earth roads, and to build bridges and culverts. Several projects included the development of growth centres and rural markets, and others included the planting of roadside trees and the provision of equipment for road maintenance. These have helped many poor regions across Bangladesh to progress, improving the lives of millions of people. “The rural road development has brought connectivity – to farms, to education, to health and to the national transport system” A new road in Sylhet Division. – Mr Swapan Kanti Paul, Executive Engineer, Sylhet Local Government Engineering Department
2. A long-term commitment to Bangladesh ’s rural development Evidence from several developing countries shows that investing in rural transport infrastructure can help to overcome poverty in these areas. Improved access to markets and inputs (e.g. seeds and fertilizer) increases agricultural production, which leads to more jobs and higher wages. At the same time, roads reduce transport costs, making agricultural inputs more affordable and allowing farmers to get more profit from their outputs. There are also social benefits that contribute to reduced poverty. For example, good roads make it easier for families to access healthcare facilities and for children to attend school. Across Bangladesh, less than 10 per cent of the 160,000 km of roads have a paved surface. Recognizing the importance of upgrading rural roads in particular, the Government of Bangladesh has implemented several initiatives across the country. IsDB has been a major partner in many of these projects (see Table 1). Surfaced roads connect villagers with their farms and essential services. 2 Table 1. IsDB’s support to rural road projects in Bangladesh Project cost, US$ million (IsDB contribution) Outputs (summarized) Region Project dates Syhlet 1990–1995 6.25 (5.0) Syhlet (II) 1993–1997 15.89 (10.1) • 200 km of new Type B feeder roads • 235 m of bridges and culverts • 12 feeder growth centres Syhlet (III) 1995–2000 16.17 (9.46) • 200 km of new Type B feeder roads • 750 m of bridges and culverts • Improvement of 14 growth centres • Assorted equipment Faridpur, Pabna, Kushtia, Rajbari 1998–2002 14.17 (8.94) • 140 km of roads, plus land • 1,150 drainage structures • 140 km of roadside trees • 1 growth centre • Maintenance, equipment and training Syhlet (IV) 2001–2005 15.25 (9.84) • 130 km of feeder roads • 58 km of rural roads • 1,296 m of bridges and culverts • 11 growth centres • Roadside trees Greater Noakhali and Chittagong 2003–2008 12.11 (10.1) • 52 km of Type B feeder roads • 215 km of rural roads • 635 m of bridges and culverts • 10 growth centres • 100 km of roadside trees Syhlet (V) 2004–2011 14.68 (10.17) • 276.2 km of feeder roads • 1,160m of bridges and culverts • Improvement of 3 growth centres • 44 km of roadside trees • Assorted equipment Syhlet (VI)* 2015–2019 36.8 (30.0) * These are the expected outputs. • 102 km of pavements • 11.6 km of surfacing • 265 m of bridges and culverts • Assorted equipment • 559 km of feeder roads • 38 rural markets constructed • 989,485 jobs • Improved access for 2.7 million rural people
3. A focus on Sylhet A major target area for these rural infrastructure projects has been Sylhet Division , where around 21 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line.3 Of the four districts in Sylhet Division (Habigonj, Moulvibazar, Sunamgonj and Sylhet), Sylhet District is the poorest. Projects under the Sylhet Division Rural Infrastructure Development Programme have aimed to create a better road network and expand economic and commercial activities, thus helping to alleviate poverty by increasing agricultural production and generating Building better roads Bangladeshi roads are classified into several categories. National and regional highways linking major towns and cities are ‘primary’ roads; ‘zila’ roads connect cities with major administrative towns. A district main road is called ‘upazila’ and district secondary roads are known as ‘union’ roads. Sylhet Division has over 20,000 km of roads of all types. Of these, it has around 2,000 km of upazila road and 4,000 km of union road. Of these, less than 2,000 km is paved; the rest are earth roads that become impassable for long periods during the rainy season (May to September). Poor maintenance of the earth roads makes travel slow and difficult even in dry conditions. The projects financed by IsDB aimed to rectify this by constructing more durable roads that can withstand increasing vehicle use and Bangladesh’s wet periods. This was done by creating layers of sand, brick chips and stone chips (two layers), and coating them with a bitumen seal. Bricks at either side add further stability to the roads. IsDB has supported six projects in Sylhet (see table opposite), the most recent of which began in 2015. The case studies in this Success Story focus on the beneficiaries from the projects in Sylhet Division. The eight* rural roads projects by numbers… More than 1,800 km – the total length of roads constructed or improved (all types) 4,341 m – the total length of bridges and culverts built to enhance the road network 89 – the number of feeder growth Figure 1. A cross-section diagram of an improved road centres established or improved, along with 35 rural markets Hard shoulder 6% employment. Priority regions for investment were identified according to the level of poverty, the current condition of the roads, and the need for the transport of people and crops. 4% 1 4% 6% Brick on end edging (125mm across) 1.5 200mm thick sand filling 40mm thick bitumenous carpeting with 7mm bitumenous seal coat US$131.32 million – 1 1.5 75mm thick third layer base course with stone chips 75mm thick second layer base course with stone chips 700mm thick first layer base course with picked brick chips the total cost of all projects, with IsDB contributing US$93.61 million * Since the 8th project is still being implemented, these totals include the projected figures for Sylhet VI 3
4. Linking farmers to markets Almost 10 million people live in the Sylhet Division , and most of them depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. But poor roads limit their access to markets, so farmers cannot sell their produce for a decent price. And few rural people in Syhlet have their own land; instead, they work as labourers on nearby farms. The poor condition of the roads hampers their movement as well. All these limitations severely constrain economic development in the area. However, thanks to the road improvement projects, this is now changing. Better goods means better prices Gobindaganj Bazar is one market centre in Sylhet that has seen a huge transformation. One of the IsDB-financed projects paved sections of the roads leading to the town’s market, including a pass under the railway line, and built drainage channels for floodwater. The roads within the market were also surfaced. At the same time, the project provided funding to build a covered market area with a hard surface underfoot, creating a place for agricultural traders to set up stalls. These developments were urgently needed. Over the past decade, the number of stalls in Gobindaganj Bazar has increased from 1,750 to more than 2,500. Mr Mustapha Bashirbur, a fruit-seller, has been trading here since 1985, and has seen an upturn in his fortunes since the roads were improved. He buys produce from surrounding farms, hiring a pick-up truck to bring it to the market. Fast, smooth transport is vital for perishable goods like fruit and vegetables, and his goods now arrive in much better condition – which means he can sell them for higher prices. “When the new road was built, I moved to a new section of the market where there were more customers walking by,” he says. “Before, I was earning 2,000–2,500 Taka each month [US$26–32],4 but now my income has doubled to 4,000–5,000 Taka [$52–65].” It is not only the traders who have seen their incomes increase. Many people are involved in transporting goods and passengers to, from and within the market. Mr Farid Uddin uses a bicycle rickshaw to transport people and goods, mainly within Gobindaganj. “The new road has brought many more people here and The surfaced road within Gobindaganj Bazar. The locals call this ‘the IsDB road’. 4
5. my earnings have doubled ,” he says. While he used to earn around 200 Taka ($2.60) a day, now he can easily make 500 Taka ($6.52) because he can get right to the heart of the market. hectare (ha) in 2005 to 5.5 tonnes/ha in 2014, following the road improvements. Farmers also report an increase in their incomes, from around 250 Taka (US$3.23) to 450 Taka (US$5.87) a day. Customers also appreciate the improved conditions underfoot. Mrs Laily Begum used to have to walk the 5 km from her village to Gobindaganj to shop, but she can now travel by auto-rickshaw. “It is a lifeline,” she says. “I am getting too old to walk; without the road I wouldn’t be able to come any more.” Adding inputs to improve rice yields Rice is an important crop in Sylhet Division, but the productivity of this and other food crops, including tea, fruit and vegetables, has traditionally been low, because farmers could not easily access inputs or credit due to the limited road network. Mr Mustapha Bashirbur sells fruit and vegetables in Gobindaganj Bazar. Thanks to the ‘IsDB road’, he has seen a marked upturn in his income. “People used to walk through the mud to the bazaar barefoot but, now they can travel by autorickshaw, more people come and they buy a lot more!” He also supports the surrounding farmers by buying their produce and transporting it to market. Thanks to the road improvements, though, farmers can now travel to input dealers. Here, they can buy improved seeds and fertilizers, as well as getting advice on what and when to plant. This is having an impact on productivity: in Sylhet Sadar sub-district, productivity increased from 4.5 tonnes/ Mrs Piara Bagom cannot afford to rent a market stall; she carries her basket of cosmetics around the streets, selling to passers-by. Now the road improvements bring more people to the market, she has seen her income almost double. 5
6. Boosting employment and incomes Sylhet Division has over 150 tea estates , including three of the largest plantations in the world. Over 300,000 people work on these estates – of whom more than three-quarters are women – and most of them travel to work by public transport. Mrs Radha Moni Chasha has worked at Satgaon Tea Estate for 15 years. Her income has increased by 75 per cent since the road improvements. With the reduced journey time, she now spends less time travelling to the estate and more time picking tea. 6 They have benefitted greatly from the feeder roads. In Moulvibazar district, for example, 91 km of road has been built or improved under the IsDB-financed projects. And for most workers at Satgaon Tea Estate, which employs 500 people, what used to be a twohour journey to work can now be completed in under 20 minutes. Quicker journeys means lower transport costs, and the commercial viability of the tea estates has improved with the new roads. They are also creating links to larger markets. For example, it is now easier to deliver the finished product to Dhaka and beyond, opening up new export markets for Sylheti tea and bringing valuable foreign exchange to Bangladesh. Faster journeys are also important for the tea harvest: the quality of the tea can be reduced if there is a long delay between picking and processing. This used to be a common problem. “Before, it would take nearly two hours to transport the harvest to the drying and packing facility, longer if there was a breakdown or puncture,” says Mr Iftikhar Alam, Assistant Manager of Satgaon Tea Estate. “Now it takes less than an hour.” The tea estates, combined with the lush subtropical hills and rainforests, make Sylhet one of the country’s leading tourist destinations, and this industry has also been boosted through the project. Visitors can reach the hills and tea estates faster and in greater comfort. This has generated new jobs for Sylhetis in the service industry, as guides, hotel and restaurant staff, and in making and selling souvenirs.
7. A boost for small transport businesses It is not only large-scale employers that have benefitted from the road upgrades ; many small businesses have grown too. One group that have seen a significant upturn is small-scale transport businesses. The new roads have reduced travel times so much that they can now make more journeys each day, meaning more fares. has reduced, I can fit in more journeys in the same time,” he confirms. His gross income has increased from around 1,200 Taka (US$15) per day to around 2,000 to 2,500 (US$26–32). Other transport operators have seen their monthly incomes increase by three or four times. Transport operators also lose less travelling time due to punctures and breakdowns, which were a common problem on the rough earth roads. “There is much less maintenance needed on my vehicle due to the smoother road surface,” says Mr Uddin. Mr Zaman Uddin owns a ‘tempo’ (mini-bus) that can take up to 14 people per journey. He now makes at least two trips per day from Shaheber Bazar to Sylhet town; before the roads were improved it could take the best part of a day just to travel one way. “Now the travelling time Mr Dipen Tanti is a public transport driver based at the Amrail Tea Estate. His income has roughly doubled since the road development. Mr Zaman Uddin’s ‘tempo’ can seat 14 passengers, and he can make more journeys each day – meaning more fares. 7
8. Getting to school on time Aside from the economic impacts of the project , the upgraded roads have enhanced people’s personal lives. A major sector to benefit has been education. More children can get to school, even in the most remote areas, leading to a large increase in enrolment rates. One school to benefit is Badeslawer Government Primary School. The school, located in a remote rural area close to the border with India, has more than doubled in size in recent years and now accommodates 400 children, most of whom walk to school. Before the road improvements, many found the journey too difficult, especially during the rainy season when the dirt roads became muddy and impassable for walking. There are also far fewer transport options during the rainy season. attendance. Where some families would have sent only boys to school, they can now afford to send their daughters too. In the Sylhet Sadar sub-district, for example, enrolment increased from 27,200 in 2005 to 45,500 in 2014, after the road improvements; of these, female enrolment increased from 14,150 to 23,360. Teachers also appreciate the smoother journeys these days. “Before the new road was built, it was difficult to attract good teachers because it was so hard to get here,” says Mrs Chapla Rani Delength, Head Teacher at Badeslawer. “Now the journey is easier, our numbers have increased and we have had to enlarge the school building to more than double its previous size.” The shorter journey times, whether walking or by public transport, are of great benefit to the pupils, since they arrive at school fresh, alert and ready to learn. In addition, if they take public transport, it is now more affordable, as the greater number of commercial vehicles has increased competition, meaning lower fares. This allows poorer families to send their children to school. The roads and improved transport options are helping to rectify gender imbalances in school 8 Badeslawer Government Primary School has more than doubled in size since the road improvements made it easier for pupils to attend.
9. Fewer accidents and better access to care The new roads have improved people ’s health in Sylhet Division, in several different ways. One is increased road safety: there are fewer traffic accidents, which were easily caused by vehicles swerving to avoid holes and bumps in the road. Pedestrian safety has also been enhanced. The larger upazila roads have hard shoulders where people can walk in relative safety. And in Gobindaganj, one of the projects installed an underpass beneath the railway line, allowing people to reach the market without having to walk across the tracks. People also appreciate the fact that it is now much easier to travel to health clinics and hospitals, which are important for both routine and emergency care. “The better roads have definitely improved access to schools and local health clinics” – Mr Kamrul Islam, Executive Engineer, Local Government Engineering Department, Moulvibazar Reduced travel time thanks to the new roads mean that children from more remote areas can get to school. They can walk along the roadside in greater safety thanks to the improved visibility and wide embankments. 9
10. Keeping up the good work With more than 6 ,000 km of roads in Sylhet District, keeping them in good condition is a considerable challenge – one that falls to the Local Government Engineering Department. Every year during the rainy season, flash floods wash out entire sections of road and cause severe damage to bridges and culverts. The Department was unable to keep up an effective maintenance schedule when most of these were earth roads. This could leave some areas without access for months at a time. Fortunately, the newly surfaced roads are more resilient, but they still need constant maintenance to keep them in optimum condition. “We have a three-month maintenance window as the rainfall here is the highest in the country,” says Mr Kamrul Islam, the Executive Engineer in Moulvibazar. “Not only does this reduce our maintenance time, but it also causes further road damage.” A lack of heavy equipment, such as road rollers, was another problem that hampered effective road maintenance in the past. To address this, several IsDB-financed projects supplied equipment such as road rollers, measuring wheels, bitumen extractors and digital thermometers. To further increase the durability of the roads, several projects provided financing to plant rows of trees alongside stretches of the improved roads. In addition to providing welcome shade for passers-by, the dense root networks help to reduce erosion during heavy rain. This improves the stability of the roadside embankments and prolongs the life of the road margins. It also provides employment for poor landless people, who are paid by the Government to look after the trees. One of the IsDB-funded road rollers relaying the road surface. 10
11. Lessons learnt The projects clearly achieved their main goal : to alleviate poverty among Bangladesh’s rural population by increasing agricultural production and generating employment. However, it is tricky to quantify the full benefits of each project, since baseline indicators and measurable targets were not set at the beginning. For future initiatives, there should be measurable development indicators with clear baselines and targets to measure the project’s contribution to economic and social development. The long-term sustainability of the roads constructed and improved during these projects largely depends on the Government of Bangladesh providing adequate funds for road maintenance. This has been a problem in the past, but the gap between the required budget and amount actually allocated has been shrinking year by year; funding increased by a factor of ten between 2001 and 2012. In 2013, the Government also adopted a rural roads maintenance policy and framework to close the gap completely by 2020. This offers promise for the future upkeep of these roads. The rural roads constructed helped to improve access to schools and health centres. However, this increased the demand on these services, often beyond the available capacity. An integrated programme approach – one that develops essential social infrastructure at the same time as road infrastructure – could have even greater impact on the welfare of people in the target regions. Success factors ƒƒ Demand. There was an urgent need for road improvement in Sylhet, as well as in other regions. The projects in Sylhet were fully supported by the Government of Bangladesh under its formal Sylhet Division Rural Infrastructure Development Programme. ƒƒ Maintenance. There is provision for the new roads built in the latest project (Phase VI, Sylhet) to be maintained by the Local Government Engineering Department with public money, while the rural markets have established committees to manage maintenance funds provided by the local authority. ƒƒ Strong partners. The Local Government Engineering Department is a well-established institution with strong technical capacity. It has developed a highly effective ‘Road and Structure Database Management System’, which enables government funds to be allocated efficiently according to defined criteria. Trees have been planted along several sections of road to stabilize the embankments. 11
12. 1 2 3 4 This special edition on Rural Connectivity is part of a series in the IsDB Success Stories Special Programme , implemented under the guidance and direction of H.E. the Vice President (Operations), Dr Mansur Muhtar, and the Director of the Operations Policy and Services Department (OPSD), Mr Anasse Aissami. The preparation of this success story was managed by Dr Intizar Hussain and Mr Muhammad Ismail of the Operations Policy and Compliance (OPC) Division of the OPSD at IsDB Headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. and Chittagong District Feeder Road Project (2003), the Sylhet Feeder Roads Upgrading Project (Phase V) (2004), and the Rural Access Road Improvement Project in Sylhet Division (2014) prepared by the former Operations & Projects Department-1, the Country Operations Department-1, and the Agriculture and Rural Development Department; the Project Performance Evaluation Report on Sylhet Feeder Roads Upgrading Project (Phase V) (2016) prepared by the Group Operations Evaluation Department (GOED). This success story document is based on the Report and Recommendations of the President (RRPs) for the Construction and Upgrading of Feeder Roads and Development of Growth Centres Project in the Old Sylhet District in Bangladesh (1990), the Feeder Roads Phase-II Project in the Greater Sylhet District of Bangladesh (1993), the Feeder Roads Phase-III Project in the North Eastern Region of Bangladesh (1995), the Feeder Roads Phase-IV Project in the Western Region of Bangladesh (1998), the Sylhet Feeder Roads Project (PhaseIV) in Bangladesh (2001), the Greater Noakhali The story was supplemented by additional material from a field visit to the country by Mr Fuad Huseynov and Mr Luai Osman of the OPSD and Green Ink, facilitated by the Government of Bangladesh (February 2016). All direct and indirect contributions by colleagues (in particular Mr Kamal Al-Hashedi, Mr Mohammed Wosabi and the GOED) and partners of IsDB for the successful implementation and evaluation of the project, and for the preparation of this document, are gratefully acknowledged. See: World Bank (http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS) See: World Bank (http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS) Source: www.bbs.gov.bd/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/ All exchange rates as of March 2016. LatestReports/Poverty_Map_ brochure10.pdf A paved road connecting farmers’ fields and villages. Words and design by Green Ink: www.greenink.co.uk. All photographs by Green Ink Acknowledgements Contact: Manager, Operations Policy and Compliance Division Operations Policy and Services Department Islamic Development Bank Group 8111 King Khalid St, Jeddah 22332–2444, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Email: idbarchives@isdb.org  |  Tel: +966 12 6361400  |  www.isdb.org TOGETHER WE BUILD A BET TER FUTURE