All household wastes of old Dhaka are ending up in the Burigangna River, Bangladesh
All household waste of old Dhaka was dumped into the Buriganga River in the middle of the night. Though waste collectors charge BDT 100 to BDT 500 per day to transport waste from each household to dumping stations, they ultimately dump all waste in the Buriganga river. Citizens are complaining that they are not getting the desired service even after paying for it.
As per the field survey, it’s known that collected waste from Lalbagh embankment, Kamrangirchar, Shyambazar, Sadarghat, Aganagar of Keraniganj, Tailghat and Par Gandaria areas and surrounding areas of the capital first got piled on the river bank by van.
Then it throws into the river at midnight or any reasonable hour throughout the day. In addition, waste from hundreds of water vehicles gets dumped directly into the river every day. Shyambazar and Badamtali warehouses and various chemical wastes from Charkaliganj dockyards are being dumped into the river.
The local people said, “The residents and the passerby moving around are getting restless due to the pungent stench of the waste piled up on the river banks. Political parties back those involved in littering.”
That is why no one can protest. Environmentalists claimed that “Every day at least 50,000 tonnes of waste getting dumped into the Buriganga through 250 drains of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka WASA.
Besides, the stench of garbage is making it difficult for the locals to live. A resident said that “A person close to Councilor Hossain got hired as a garbage contractor in the ward. Every day garbage are collected on the river bank and dumped in the river in the darkness of night.”
A trader in the Islambagh area said that” Previously waste workers used to come (household waste) six days a week, but now they are coming four days a week to collect the waste. The municipality workers asked locals to dump waste into Bins that kept in the basement of their houses. So locals have to leave their waste into the bins, and that’s how the whole area turned into a garbage camp.”
Residents are getting restless due to the stench of two- or three-days old dirt. Human waste is getting dumped in Buriganga too. As a result, locals and passersby crossing the river are getting breathless due to the stench of waste. Besides, waste of raw material warehouses and boat repairs also got dumped along the river. The instructions of the honourable high court to prevent river pollution are also getting ignored.
Abdur Rahman Miaji, councillor of ward 37 of DSCC, said, “It was not possible to stop dumping waste in the river if people were not aware. Contractors got appointed by the city corporation for collecting garbage from each ward. After collecting waste from homes in exchange for money, they dump it in the river without reaching the specified place.”
Councilor Rahman further said, “We have met many times with BIWTA and launch owners and requested to dump garbage at specific places. But they do not take into account. Regularly dumping waste in the river.”
