ALTHOUGH waste disposal management is there in Dhaka city, it needs much more improvement from the concerned city corporation authorities. We have come to know that Dhaka, the 13th largest city in the world with a population of more than 18 million, produces around 3,500 tonnes of waste every single day.
Add to that our littering habit, clogged drains and irregular city cleaning services, we are left with a city that is very hard to live in. It goes without saying that not only does our waste management system need comprehensive reform, we also need to embark upon an intensive cleanup to prevent outbreaks of diseases.
According to a media report in a national daily on Sunday, the recent transfer by Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) to reform city’s waste assortment has not fared nicely with dwellers, who said they are being charged excessively by the newly appointed contractors and the service is also substandard.
According to the contract settlement, service suppliers would charge maximum Tk 100 per 30 days from every family unit and different institutions for the service. Under the previous system, each household unit had to pay around Tk 40-50 to the service provider, while shops were not charged for that service since those generated little waste.
City planners thought the self-funded service was introduced because of the city authorities’ failure to install enough waste collection containers at convenient locations and developing the habit of city dwellers to drop off their daily waste themselves.
Meanwhile, owner of a service supplier said he had to pay DSCC Tk 12 lakh as safe deposit. In addition, he had also to pay hundreds of thousands to local politicians to get their recommendations. “I have invested almost Tk 20 lakh to launch this business.”
On the other hand, DSCC chief waste management officer Air Commodore Badrul Amin said previously waste collection was done in an unregulated manner, which made waste management extremely difficult. To make things better, they have appointed companies through a review committee.
Sadly, it is not uncommon to find dustbin overflowing with garbage, with waste spilling out on to the footpath and main road, the stench becoming unbearable for commuters and nearby residents.
To make Dhaka city livable, for us, and for future generations, we hope waste management will be a priority for our city corporations.
