Garbage dumped on Dhaka-Aricha highway
A photo published in this paper on June 12 shows a huge pile of garbage dumped on the side of Dhaka-Aricha highway at Hemayetpur, Savar. This practice of dumping waste along this highway is nothing new. As this daily has reported several times in the past, there are several points on that highway where garbage is regularly being dumped. What is even more horrifying is that a biker recently slipped on the garbage and was killed as he was run over by a microbus. According to our source, a number of bikers fell on that same spot.
Such careless act of using the open roads as garbage disposal sites is totally unacceptable. Not only does such indiscriminate dumping of garbage pollute the surrounding environment causing serious health hazards, it also leads to increased risks of road accidents. Moreover, when it rains the road becomes dangerously slippery for the motorists due to the garbage. Already the number of road accidents on that road is high and such practice of littering only adds to this number.
It is obvious that the local authorities are not performing their duties properly. And what role is the Roads and Highways department playing to keep the road safe for traffic movement? There needs to be coordination between the two authorities in order to keep the highway garbage-free and safe.
Time and again we have raised our concerns about this abhorrent practice but to no avail. What we need to do is develop a proper waste management system. The government should acquire land for developing garbage disposal sites, undertake awareness raising campaigns among the public, etc. We believe if appropriate measures are taken, this practice can be stopped once and for all.
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