It’s difficult for the people that living on the banks of the Surma River at Sylhet City in Bangladesh because of the stench
By Zeba Tarunnum
There are piles of dirt and garbage in nine places on the bank of the Surma River in the Sylhet. These places are spreading the stench. Some unconscious people are liable for if this open dumping.
The Surma River flows through Sylhet city. There are piles of garbage at nine places along 2.5 kilometers of the riverbank from Topkhana to the Kanishail area of the city. The garbage from the riverbank is falling into the river and polluting the water.
The stench is spreading into the environment from the garbage piles. The residents of the riverbank are suffering due to this. The people who walk at the riverbank in the morning and afternoon cannot stand the stench.
According to the locals, some handful of people in the area dump various kinds of wastes, including rotten and leftover foods, a bunch of bananas, plastic bottles, and empty chips packets on the river bank. This garbage is spreading the stench.
Recently by visiting the spot, garbage piles were seen in nine places on the riverbank in Topkhana, Sheikhghat, Kazirbazar, Dohor, Kolapara, and Kanishail.
Although there are plastic bins for dumping garbage on the river banks in Dohor and Kalapara areas, people are not using that. Even though they have a waste Bin nearby, they are throwing wastes on the riverbank.
Moushumi Akhter, a Housewife from the Kalapara area, said she walks regularly in the morning and afternoon along the riverbank as she has diabetes. However, as soon as she steps out of the house, she sees the pile of garbage. The airflow spreads and increases the stench. As a result, she can not walk comfortably.
Few other people from the Kalapara area said local traders dump more garbage than the residential people on the riverbank. Even though the garbage is lying on the riverbank day after day, City Corporation doesn’t clean it.
Without disclosing their name, two Dohor and Kalapara area residents said the plastic Bins placed on the riverbank is tiny in size. It can only dump dry wastes like food packets, bottles, plastic, and polythene bags in there. Therefore, the waste from house and shop are dumped on the riverbank instead of those dustbins.
Md. Hanifur Rahman, Waste Management officer in charge, Sylhet City Corporation, said that keeping the riverbank clean and tidy, residents are often warned.
The city corporation always told the people not to pollute the river by dumping waste. Even, sometimes by conducting expeditions, the people involved in dumping wastes were fined. Still, the dumping is not stopping. Public awareness program will be held there again.
Dohor, Kalapara, and Kanishail areas of Surma riverbank fall under the City Corporation’s Ward No. 10. Md. Tarek Uddin Taj, Councillor of this ward, said, “many people are dumping waste on the riverbank without giving it to the City corporation’s cleaners.”
“This is very disheartening. The locals are repeatedly warned not to dump waste on the riverbank. We are thinking of a permanent solution to the issue.” He added.
