Waste is polluting the protected forest area of Sreepur, Gazipur, Bangladesh
Garbage piles up on both sides of the regional road passing through the protected forest area of Sreepur in Gazipur.
According to local sources, garbage dumping inside the forest has continued since the Sreepur municipal authorities and the forest department have taken no strict measures. Because of this, thousands of people are suffering every day.
Piles of Garbage have accumulated in various areas of Sreepur, such as Sreepur-Gosingha road, Sreepur-Rajabari road, Mauna-Badnibhanga road, Rajendrapur-Faugan road, Tengra-Saitelia Bazar road, Shishupalli intersection, Vrindavan road, Satkhamair-Sishupalli road, Dargachala-Nayanpur road including Bhawal.
Forest birds and other animals, including foxes, dogs, and other animals, are also dispersing the piles of Garbage in search of food in the forests. Among these, there are industrial wastes, as well as non-biodegradable wastes from hospitals, clinics, and homes.
The local residents informed that the wastes of factories and municipalities around Sreepur used to dump inside the forest in the dark of night.
These wastes also include medical waste. There is no designated place to dump the Garbage, so they randomly throw it in the forest.
Every morning, Mizanur Rahman and his wife go out for a walk of about three kilometers on the Sreepur-Rajabari road. Mizanur Rahman said,
”There is no chance to walk due to the stench from the waste left inside the forest. How can people litter in such a beautiful green forest?”
Iqbal Mahmud, a resident of Dargarchala village, said, ”At different times of the night, unknown people leave this Garbage all over the forest in dump trucks and ordinary trucks. The stench of the waste causes great suffering to the people traveling on the roads.”
Mobarak Hossain, a resident of the Brindavan area, said, ”Garbage has been dumped inside the forest for a year now. Forest animals die by eating this Garbage.”
Md. Akhtaruzzaman of Vitipara village said, ”This situation is because there is no accountability if Garbage dumps in government places. Piles of Garbage can see in at least 20 places on the road from Satkhamair to Vitipara.”
Md. Tofazzal Hossain, Chairman of the local Burmese Union Parishad, said, “I have received news that waste has been found in several reserved forest lands of our union. After talking to the officials of the forest department, they have been requested to take action in this regard.”
Zaheer Raihan, Conservancy Inspector of Sreepur Municipality, said, “The construction of the dumping station of our municipality is going on.
So some garbage has to be thrown by people in different places. However, Garbage does not damage the forest. We are aware of this.”
Rana Dev, Sreepur Range Officer and Assistant Conservator of Forests of the Forest Department, said, ‘It prohibits dumping waste in the reserved forest land.
Our manpower is always a big problem. Some group dumps waste in the forest at some point in night or day. We are trying to identify who is involved in this crime. After identifying criminals, we will take the necessary measures.”
