THE capital has turned into virtually a dumping ground of all types of rubbish, dirt and garbage spilling over in open places at street corners. In absence of elected mayors for more than seven years, the mega city had no democratic and accountable rulers and basic amenities of city dwellers were extremely ignored during all these years making the city unliveable. The bifurcated cities through the recently held city elections got two mayors and a good number of ward councillors, whose prime duties are to provide basic amenities to the city dwellers, making the city clean and green and ensure access of the utility services for all. The elected mayors of Dhaka North and South City Corporations have recently made the promises for making the city clean and free from dirt. Now, the city dwellers will keep their eyes fixed on the mayors and observe their activities according to their pledges.
People of the city have been suffering for a long time due to serious environmental pollution when the corporations remained severely disorganised having no comprehensive plan of action. Garbage in open places, dustbins by the roadsides are spreading stint and slums on footpaths blocking pedestrians from easy movement. In many places, sewerage running over the city streets turning the roads full of litters and making life of thoroughfare miserable as they forced to inhale in odours. Moreover, drainage at many city points is the breeding ground of mosquitoes. At many other places marshy land with dirty water gives the dark picture of an illuminating city at its posh areas.
Spot footage and news items carried out in several dailies over the past several days showed the face of a haphazard city with decomposed organic materials. Owners of the roadside shops and restaurants, food stores and others mindlessly throw their waste, dirty bags and polythene objects on the roads. It is advisable that the corporations should launch awareness programme with beefing up protected waste collection system and its management. Experts are suggesting changes in many such systems; which are age-old and not in keeping the need of a modern city. Not only the garbage collection must be hygienic their dumping must also be at secured places to save public life from air pollution.
The newly elected DNCC mayor has already assured that the city dwellers will not get any problem regarding waste management after two years, and in three years Dhaka will be clean and green. Meanwhile, the DSCC mayor said free garbage bags would be distributed among around 1.5 lakh households in his area and all streetlights would be repaired before the holy month of Ramadan. City dwellers want to believe in those promises although they have different experience from the past. It is advisable that the new mayors must start working soon to live up to their promises with the people.
