Gulam Rabbani :
The amount of waste is increasing in Dhaka with the increase of population day by day. At present, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) produces on average two thousand 800 metric tons of waste per day and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) produces on average three thousand 500 metric tons, sources said.
Annually these two city corporations produce around 22 lakh metric tons of waste which are very tough to handle by the corporations’ own capacity. Two own landfills of the two city corporations, Aminbazar and Matuail, have already been fulfilled. That is why the DNCC and DSCC authorities have fallen at a great tension.
Sources said, in 1990, the then Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) built the Matuail landfill on 50 acres of land. In the year 2005-06, the area of the landfill was expanded to 100 acres of land by acquisition of new 50 acres of land. Later the DCC was divided into two city corporations on November 29 in 2011 due to growing population in the city.
After the partition, DSCC is using Matuail landfill for their waste disposal and the government acquired 51.48 acres of land in Aminbazar to build a new landfill for DNCC.
In a recent visit, a 30 feet stack of mountainous waste at Aminbazar and Matuail landfills was seen. The waste garbage of the different wards of the two city corporations were taken to the landfill stations by the waste cars.
After that, 50-60 women and children were collecting various items including plastic bottles from the garbage brought into the landfills. Then the waste were being scattered by the scavitters and bulldozers. But those who were working inside the dirt did not have any gloves, masks, boots or helmets.
Experts say, serious diseases can spread from home-made garbage. The scavengers may be affected by Hepatitis B virus, Tetanus and HIB virus. They may be affected by water borne diseases or dermatitis. Besides, the deadly germs entering into their bodies as their nose and mouth are not safe.
M A Shahed, who is in charge of Matuwail Landfill, said, “The people who search plastic bottles in the garbage of the landfill are not city corporation workers. They are outsiders. Most of them are street boys. The DSCC landfill has six scavitters, two bulldozers and five draggers. These equipments are used to stack the garbage.”
Additional Chief Waste Management Officer of DSCC Khandaker Millatul Islam said, “The facilities of the scavengers of the DSCC have been improved than earlier. They have been provided gloves, masks, boots and helmets now. But most the scavengers don’t feel comfort to wear them during their duties. Despite a lot of effort in this regard it was not possible to implement the plan to reduce the health risks of the scavengers.”
Chief Waste Management Officer of DNCC Md Mojur Hossain said, “There are still some spaces available at Aminbazar landfill. We are dumping waste there. But we have sent a proposal to the Ministry for acquisition of more 81 acres of land besides Aminbazar landfill and another 100 acres of land elsewhere. We will be able to build an modern landfill if the proposal implemented.”
Chief Waste Management Officer of DSCC Air Commodore Md Zahid Hossain said, “Matuail landfill will not have any place to lay garbage in the next five years. That’s why the plan to acquire 81 acres of new land is underway.”
Urban planners said there is no doubt about the rapid progress of Bangladesh. But the question remains about how it is moving. Capital city is the centre of a country and in Bangladesh the capital city itself is going to become garbage day by day. If you do not start alternative use of waste, there will be dire consequences in the future.
A recent World Bank report said more than two lakh people die every year in environmental pollution in Bangladesh. Among them, 80 thousand people die in urban areas.
There are about 20 million people living in the city of 134 square miles. Every person produces average 560 grams of waste every day.
Bangladesh Institute of Planners’ (BIP) General Secretary Dr Adil Mohammad Khan said, “The two city corporations of Dhaka did not build environment friendly landfills which should be established outside of the residential areas. But Aminbazar landfill was built near to residential areas. And the water released from the waste is going down to the ground which is possible to go to Buriganga river. There is no long-term planning in our country for landfill.”
The amount of waste is increasing in Dhaka with the increase of population day by day. At present, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) produces on average two thousand 800 metric tons of waste per day and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) produces on average three thousand 500 metric tons, sources said.
Annually these two city corporations produce around 22 lakh metric tons of waste which are very tough to handle by the corporations’ own capacity. Two own landfills of the two city corporations, Aminbazar and Matuail, have already been fulfilled. That is why the DNCC and DSCC authorities have fallen at a great tension.
Sources said, in 1990, the then Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) built the Matuail landfill on 50 acres of land. In the year 2005-06, the area of the landfill was expanded to 100 acres of land by acquisition of new 50 acres of land. Later the DCC was divided into two city corporations on November 29 in 2011 due to growing population in the city.
After the partition, DSCC is using Matuail landfill for their waste disposal and the government acquired 51.48 acres of land in Aminbazar to build a new landfill for DNCC.
In a recent visit, a 30 feet stack of mountainous waste at Aminbazar and Matuail landfills was seen. The waste garbage of the different wards of the two city corporations were taken to the landfill stations by the waste cars.
After that, 50-60 women and children were collecting various items including plastic bottles from the garbage brought into the landfills. Then the waste were being scattered by the scavitters and bulldozers. But those who were working inside the dirt did not have any gloves, masks, boots or helmets.
Experts say, serious diseases can spread from home-made garbage. The scavengers may be affected by Hepatitis B virus, Tetanus and HIB virus. They may be affected by water borne diseases or dermatitis. Besides, the deadly germs entering into their bodies as their nose and mouth are not safe.
M A Shahed, who is in charge of Matuwail Landfill, said, “The people who search plastic bottles in the garbage of the landfill are not city corporation workers. They are outsiders. Most of them are street boys. The DSCC landfill has six scavitters, two bulldozers and five draggers. These equipments are used to stack the garbage.”
Additional Chief Waste Management Officer of DSCC Khandaker Millatul Islam said, “The facilities of the scavengers of the DSCC have been improved than earlier. They have been provided gloves, masks, boots and helmets now. But most the scavengers don’t feel comfort to wear them during their duties. Despite a lot of effort in this regard it was not possible to implement the plan to reduce the health risks of the scavengers.”
Chief Waste Management Officer of DNCC Md Mojur Hossain said, “There are still some spaces available at Aminbazar landfill. We are dumping waste there. But we have sent a proposal to the Ministry for acquisition of more 81 acres of land besides Aminbazar landfill and another 100 acres of land elsewhere. We will be able to build an modern landfill if the proposal implemented.”
Chief Waste Management Officer of DSCC Air Commodore Md Zahid Hossain said, “Matuail landfill will not have any place to lay garbage in the next five years. That’s why the plan to acquire 81 acres of new land is underway.”
Urban planners said there is no doubt about the rapid progress of Bangladesh. But the question remains about how it is moving. Capital city is the centre of a country and in Bangladesh the capital city itself is going to become garbage day by day. If you do not start alternative use of waste, there will be dire consequences in the future.
A recent World Bank report said more than two lakh people die every year in environmental pollution in Bangladesh. Among them, 80 thousand people die in urban areas.
There are about 20 million people living in the city of 134 square miles. Every person produces average 560 grams of waste every day.
Bangladesh Institute of Planners’ (BIP) General Secretary Dr Adil Mohammad Khan said, “The two city corporations of Dhaka did not build environment friendly landfills which should be established outside of the residential areas. But Aminbazar landfill was built near to residential areas. And the water released from the waste is going down to the ground which is possible to go to Buriganga river. There is no long-term planning in our country for landfill.”
