Municipal solid waste polluting the springs and rivers in Khagrachhari, Bangladesh
The waste of Khagrachhari municipality at Bangladesh Hilltracts is polluting the hilly springs and rivers. Residents and road users are stunned by the stench of garbage. Due to the pollution, the locals cannot collect the water from springs.
Municipal authorities did not resolve the issue after the complaint. However, they informed that a new dumping station is constructing for modern waste management.
Alutila Hill at the entrance of Khagrachhari is a well-known tourist destination. However, the local union dumped all the area’s sewage and municipal waste on the hilltops for the last two decades.
Local villagers and road users are uneasy about the pollution of garbage. As a result of burning these wastes, foul-smelling smoke is entering the bodies of the passers-by. Due to waste, mountains, fountains, streams, and springs pollute.
Many people are getting sick from drinking the stream water. In the rainy season, these wastes fall into the river. As a result, public health at danger.
Kalpa Ranjan Tripura, a resident, said, “The municipality dumping garbage here year after year. The smell of dirt has made the surrounding people uninhabitable. The burning smell of waste is harming the environment day and night.
Lakshmi Rani Tripura, a municipality resident, said, “When it rains, the dirt gets mixed. The people below cannot drink water from the rhyme.
Dirt spreads down the hill and spreads a lot of bad smell. Flies and mosquitoes also increase the nuisance. They often complain to authority, but they do not listen to them.
Meanwhile, the health department, Khagrachari, said, “There is a fear of damage to public health due to municipal waste.
Dr. Nupur Kanti Das, Khagrachari Civil Surgeon, said that “If perishable products are not properly recycled and mixed with water, it can pose a serious health risk.
It May cause diarrhea and typhoid. And the smoke that burns in the fire day and night to burn dirt is more likely to affect the lungs. So to avoid health risks, waste should manage in remote areas.”
Nirmalendu Chowdhury, Mayor of Khagrachhari Municipality, said that waste management should do in an environmentally friendly manner in response to the demands of the locals. He said that the city’s waste management is developing by constructing dumping stations.
The Mayor of Khagrachhari Municipality acknowledged the locals’ plight and said, “So far, we have no permanent solution.” We have a Sanitary Land Field Station on 11 acres in the Sabujbagh area of Khagrachhari town.
Its construction work is already complete. We hope that we will be able to transfer waste management suddenly. Locals and conscious citizens have demanded to dump the municipal waste and garbage bins elsewhere for public health and the environment before the completion of the dumping station.”
