Phulbari Municipality: Chhoto Jamuna now a dumping zone

Garbage, including plastic waste, piled up across 400 metres under a footbridge on Chhoto Jamuna river, and also scattered along the riverbank on both sides -- this was what this correspondent saw during a recent visit to Phulbari municipality in Dinajpur.

This correspondent also witnessed a municipality staff dumping waste collected from households on the river bank, a practice which has been going on for the last couple of years, at least twice a day, according to locals.

Even after four decades, the municipality is yet to have a dedicated landfill for waste management, and has been indiscriminately dumping the domestic waste produced by its 35,000-strong population on the river banks daily.

As a result, the Chhoto Jamuna river, which was once a vital lifeline for the area's residents, is now facing an existential crisis.

"This dumping has led to degradation of the river's environment and water quality. It also affected the water flow and navigability," said local Md Abdul Awal.

Tanmay Sanyal, regional coordinator of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, said, "The municipality authorities are violating laws by dumping waste on the river bank. Around 80 percent of the dumped waste is non-biodegradable. Urgent and decisive action is imperative to protect the river and prevent further damage."

Golam Mortuza Manik, former mayor of Phulbari Municipality, alleged that during his tenure, they took initiative to procure land to set up a dedicated landfill for waste management. However, after the new mayor took charge in 2020, the initiative saw no further development, he claimed.

Lutful Huda Chowdhury, executive engineer of the municipality, said efforts are on to identify alternative waste disposal sites.

Incumbent Mayor Mahmud Alam Liton could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts.