DHAKA South City Corporation Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon has urged the city residents to dispose household garbage at night after sunset to make its disposal hassle free to city life. Launching the ‘Clean Dhaka 2016’ campaign on Thursday at Motijheel area in the city he gave the call which appears quite sensible and many believe it makes senses because if garbage could be disposed after sunset, it would be easier to remove it outside city by night without bringing people in contact with the dirt and its stink. People will see the city clean in next morning.
We must say the Major has taken up a crucial problem which is causing suffering to city dwellers mainly in poor areas as an integral part of city mismanagement by incapable city managers and inefficient functionaries of other bodies like the Department of Environment who seem to have no imagination and dynamism to transform Dhaka into a clean city. The Mayor’s idea makes point when he said city dwellers spend more time on the streets and at workplaces and it is to their interest to keep city roads clean for a healthy life and make sure that people are getting healthy air free from stink and other form of air pollution.
In fact a clean city demands congestion free streets and pollution free air. Water logging also makes most city streets muddy during rainy season that also needs an overall better city management, not only a better garbage management. These are enormous challenges that demand competent people running various city utility organizations. Corrupt people have so far made every aspect of city life dirty that needs to be changed.
In our view Mayor Khokon has taken the right initiative but an ambitious desire and its implementation makes much difference. What is more important is that the days of garbage cleaning at local level by volunteers is already over and it is time that both the City Corporations in Dhaka must put in place highly protected hygienic garbage points at each locality and launch awareness campaign to encourage families to dispose garbage in safe bags after sunset. A highly effective transportation of garbage is also essential to complete the disposal by night-time; which is half-heartedly working at the moment.
Dhaka city produces 5,000 tonnes of solid waste every day and the traditional idea that it must be disposed in open air is not healthier and there is not enough low land also around the city to dispose them. Most countries now use waste recycling plants and produce electricity from such waste. This is what Singapore is doing and India is also working on its garbage based power plant. The change in our garbage disposal system must be high on the City Corporations’ priority at the moment. But let them show they can do it.
