UNB, Dhaka :
The efforts of Dhaka City Corporations –South and North — for a clean city by installing trash bins in the capital have apparently failed to help the city dwellers because of their unplanned installation and lack of awareness among the users.
During spot investigations by the UNB correspondents, it is found that there is no bin in crowded places where it is needed most.
Officials at the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) said they did the installation work in haste as it was the election commitment of Mayor Sayeed Khokon to install those on footpaths to make the city a clean one, while their counterparts at the Dhaka North City Corporation said they did the job based on a study.
The officials on both sides — DSCC and DNCC — said the bins have not been installed not for houses or business entities but for pedestrians so that they can drop light garbage into those instead of on roads and footpaths that make the city dirty.
But during the visits, it is found that the pedestrians are not using the bins either to drop waste as they are throwing it on the road or footpaths, while street vendors preferring the bins.
Sabbir, a student, was eating banana from a shop and dropped the peel on the footpaths though there is a bin in front of him.
Asked, he said, “We’re habituated to dropping trashes here and there after eating something. And I did it out of that bad habit.”
The bins, installed on footpaths across the capital, are small in size and they could contain a little amount of waste. As a result, people, especially the vendors who drop trashes in the bins, cannot drop the whole amount they generate and dump the rest of it on footpaths making the city dirty.
Obaidullah, a green coconut trader in Jatrabari area, said, “After the installation of the bins in the area, I tried to dump trashes in those. But the problem is that I can’t dump all the wastes as the bin is too small.”
“Besides, the solid waste which is bigger in size can’t get its way into the bin as there is little gap between the mouth of bins and the cover. So, I keep the rest of the amount on footpaths finding,” he added.
He went on saying “The city corporation should install bigger size of bin and the gap between its mouth and cover should be widened so that we can drop into it wastes easily.”
Abbas, a tea-seller in Mirpur area, said, “There’re so many shops in Dhaka, but only a few vendors can drop wastes into the bins because those are small in size.”
Asked, DSCC chief Waste Management officer commodore MK Bakhtiar said the waste bins have been installed for pedestrians so that they can drop light garbage there. “It’s not meant for houses and business entities. And the mouth of waste bin is not small either.”
He, however, admitted that the bins have not been installed in a planned and organised way as they installed those hastily to fulfill the commitment of its mayor. “We need to readjust those. And we’ll install bins in the future assessing the need,” he added.
DNCC Public Relations officer Manzur-E-Mawla, said, “We’ve installed the bins based on a study. The distance between two bins in crowded places is 50 metres, while the distance between the two bins is 100 metres in less crowded areas.”
Both the officials said they are carrying out campaign to increase public awareness so that city dwellers drop the waste in proper places.
The DSCC has so far installed 5700 bins while the DNCC 1000.
The efforts of Dhaka City Corporations –South and North — for a clean city by installing trash bins in the capital have apparently failed to help the city dwellers because of their unplanned installation and lack of awareness among the users.
During spot investigations by the UNB correspondents, it is found that there is no bin in crowded places where it is needed most.
Officials at the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) said they did the installation work in haste as it was the election commitment of Mayor Sayeed Khokon to install those on footpaths to make the city a clean one, while their counterparts at the Dhaka North City Corporation said they did the job based on a study.
The officials on both sides — DSCC and DNCC — said the bins have not been installed not for houses or business entities but for pedestrians so that they can drop light garbage into those instead of on roads and footpaths that make the city dirty.
But during the visits, it is found that the pedestrians are not using the bins either to drop waste as they are throwing it on the road or footpaths, while street vendors preferring the bins.
Sabbir, a student, was eating banana from a shop and dropped the peel on the footpaths though there is a bin in front of him.
Asked, he said, “We’re habituated to dropping trashes here and there after eating something. And I did it out of that bad habit.”
The bins, installed on footpaths across the capital, are small in size and they could contain a little amount of waste. As a result, people, especially the vendors who drop trashes in the bins, cannot drop the whole amount they generate and dump the rest of it on footpaths making the city dirty.
Obaidullah, a green coconut trader in Jatrabari area, said, “After the installation of the bins in the area, I tried to dump trashes in those. But the problem is that I can’t dump all the wastes as the bin is too small.”
“Besides, the solid waste which is bigger in size can’t get its way into the bin as there is little gap between the mouth of bins and the cover. So, I keep the rest of the amount on footpaths finding,” he added.
He went on saying “The city corporation should install bigger size of bin and the gap between its mouth and cover should be widened so that we can drop into it wastes easily.”
Abbas, a tea-seller in Mirpur area, said, “There’re so many shops in Dhaka, but only a few vendors can drop wastes into the bins because those are small in size.”
Asked, DSCC chief Waste Management officer commodore MK Bakhtiar said the waste bins have been installed for pedestrians so that they can drop light garbage there. “It’s not meant for houses and business entities. And the mouth of waste bin is not small either.”
He, however, admitted that the bins have not been installed in a planned and organised way as they installed those hastily to fulfill the commitment of its mayor. “We need to readjust those. And we’ll install bins in the future assessing the need,” he added.
DNCC Public Relations officer Manzur-E-Mawla, said, “We’ve installed the bins based on a study. The distance between two bins in crowded places is 50 metres, while the distance between the two bins is 100 metres in less crowded areas.”
Both the officials said they are carrying out campaign to increase public awareness so that city dwellers drop the waste in proper places.
The DSCC has so far installed 5700 bins while the DNCC 1000.
