Staff Reporter ;
Green activists on Wednesday stressed the need for rethinking of citizens’ attitude towards waste and its management and build integrated, sustainable system to utilize waste for turning it into resources.
They have suggested decentralization of waste management system, incorporating city ward councilors for managing waste, keep away children from hazardous waste collection jobs, to rehabilitate children associated with waste management, increase awareness among citizens and enforce laws to prevent reckless waste dumping and pollution.
Poribesh Bachao Andolan (POBA) and Gram Bangla Unnayan Committee (GBUC) jointly organised a discussion meeting titled “Legal Framework for Municipal Waste Management and Life of the Waste Pickers in Bangladesh” at the National Press Club in the city.
POBA Chairman Abu Naser Khan presided the meeting, while Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Environment and Forest Dr Hasan Mahmud was present as the chief guest.
Vice-President of GBUC Imtiaz Rasul, its Director Khandokar Riaz Hossain, Deputy Director of Department of Environment Abul Kalam Azad, General Secretary of POBA Abdus Sobhan, its Joint General Secretary Dr Lelin Chowdhury, Co-Secretary Nishat Mahmud and President of Modern Club Abul Hasnat, among others, spoke in the programme.
Executive Director of GBUC AKM Maqaud presented
the key note paper in the programme.
In the key note presentation AKM Maqaud stressed on formulating effective legal frame work for waste management, increase institutional capacities, sustainable waste management planning, adapt contemporary technologies, generate finance for sustainable waste management and turning waste into resources with proper cooperation of citizens, institutions and related stakeholders of the country.
“Despite different initiatives, there is lack of effective waste management system in the country and it has not been developed over the years. Development of a legal framework on how and who will treat it and its effective enforcement is required,” said AKM Maqaud.
“Still we are doing waste management manually while developed countries are using machineries, equipments to process such waste and generating resources like energy from those waste, Bangladesh is lagging far from sustainability,” AKM Maqaud mentioned.
“We need to formulate law and policies for the City corporations who are directly dealing in the urban waste. There is no legal frame work on waste characterization, segregation rules, collection and transportation rules of waste in the country,” he added.
Dr Hasan Mahmud said City Corporations are centrally responsible for management of waste in the country. The process should be decentralized to make it sustainable.
“Some 3000 workers of city corporations are working to clean the city while more than two crore people lives in the city and dump recklessly then how the city would remain clean,” Dr Hasan Mahmud exclaimed.
“We must decentralize the waste management process incorporating the ward councilors of the cities and provide budget to them. This process will also allow citizens to come closer with the system and help manage the process integrated. Reward management on clean ward may result sweeter,” he suggested.
Abu Naser Khan emphasised on turning waste into resources like bio-fertilizer, energy can increase city corporations’ income as well as balance the nutritional cycle of the soil for sustainable agriculture of the country.
“City dwellers also have to be responsible in managing waste rather dumping recklessly. Change in attitude and behavior can result better life standard. City Corporations also require addressing the issue more responsively as mismanagement of waste causing water logging, degradation of life standard and economic losses,” said Abu Naser Khan
Abdus Sobhan said there is no law in the country emphasized on urban kitchen waste. Besides formulation of laws we need to address more on campaign and awareness generation, enforcement of existing laws and punish for irresponsible dumping.
“There is accountability among city dwellers and law enforcers as well. Only law formulation will not work we have to ensure accountability,” Abdus Sobhan suggested.
Green activists on Wednesday stressed the need for rethinking of citizens’ attitude towards waste and its management and build integrated, sustainable system to utilize waste for turning it into resources.
They have suggested decentralization of waste management system, incorporating city ward councilors for managing waste, keep away children from hazardous waste collection jobs, to rehabilitate children associated with waste management, increase awareness among citizens and enforce laws to prevent reckless waste dumping and pollution.
Poribesh Bachao Andolan (POBA) and Gram Bangla Unnayan Committee (GBUC) jointly organised a discussion meeting titled “Legal Framework for Municipal Waste Management and Life of the Waste Pickers in Bangladesh” at the National Press Club in the city.
POBA Chairman Abu Naser Khan presided the meeting, while Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Environment and Forest Dr Hasan Mahmud was present as the chief guest.
Vice-President of GBUC Imtiaz Rasul, its Director Khandokar Riaz Hossain, Deputy Director of Department of Environment Abul Kalam Azad, General Secretary of POBA Abdus Sobhan, its Joint General Secretary Dr Lelin Chowdhury, Co-Secretary Nishat Mahmud and President of Modern Club Abul Hasnat, among others, spoke in the programme.
Executive Director of GBUC AKM Maqaud presented
the key note paper in the programme.
In the key note presentation AKM Maqaud stressed on formulating effective legal frame work for waste management, increase institutional capacities, sustainable waste management planning, adapt contemporary technologies, generate finance for sustainable waste management and turning waste into resources with proper cooperation of citizens, institutions and related stakeholders of the country.
“Despite different initiatives, there is lack of effective waste management system in the country and it has not been developed over the years. Development of a legal framework on how and who will treat it and its effective enforcement is required,” said AKM Maqaud.
“Still we are doing waste management manually while developed countries are using machineries, equipments to process such waste and generating resources like energy from those waste, Bangladesh is lagging far from sustainability,” AKM Maqaud mentioned.
“We need to formulate law and policies for the City corporations who are directly dealing in the urban waste. There is no legal frame work on waste characterization, segregation rules, collection and transportation rules of waste in the country,” he added.
Dr Hasan Mahmud said City Corporations are centrally responsible for management of waste in the country. The process should be decentralized to make it sustainable.
“Some 3000 workers of city corporations are working to clean the city while more than two crore people lives in the city and dump recklessly then how the city would remain clean,” Dr Hasan Mahmud exclaimed.
“We must decentralize the waste management process incorporating the ward councilors of the cities and provide budget to them. This process will also allow citizens to come closer with the system and help manage the process integrated. Reward management on clean ward may result sweeter,” he suggested.
Abu Naser Khan emphasised on turning waste into resources like bio-fertilizer, energy can increase city corporations’ income as well as balance the nutritional cycle of the soil for sustainable agriculture of the country.
“City dwellers also have to be responsible in managing waste rather dumping recklessly. Change in attitude and behavior can result better life standard. City Corporations also require addressing the issue more responsively as mismanagement of waste causing water logging, degradation of life standard and economic losses,” said Abu Naser Khan
Abdus Sobhan said there is no law in the country emphasized on urban kitchen waste. Besides formulation of laws we need to address more on campaign and awareness generation, enforcement of existing laws and punish for irresponsible dumping.
“There is accountability among city dwellers and law enforcers as well. Only law formulation will not work we have to ensure accountability,” Abdus Sobhan suggested.
