DCC to buy 100 waste compactor vehicles

Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) is set to purchase 100 waste compactor vehicles at a cost of about Tk 100 crore aimed at carrying out its existing solid waste management programmes in more organised way, DCC officials said yesterday.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under its environmental grant aid programme will provide the financial support to the DCC to have 35 compactors and 65 CNG-run container-carrying trucks equipped with world-standard Japanese technologies.
Zaki M Ziaul Islam, programme officer of JICA, told BSS that vehicles used by the DCC used to emit huge carbon and resulted in environment pollution. The compactors and CNG-run container carriers will help cut at least 20 percent carbon emission, he claimed.
Against the backdrop of perilous impact of climate change, Islam said, the JICA has, of late, introduced an innovative technique of ward-based waste approach (WBA).
Under the mechanism, each ward of the city corporation will be divided into five zones and an officer to be designated as conservancy inspector will coordinate with dwellers and waste collectors registered by DCC.
JICA expert Akio Ishil, additional chief, waste management officer of DCC Dewan M Shah Alam, regional executive officer Nazrul Islam responded to queries raised by city dwellers in the meeting.
During the interactive session, the city dwellers slam the DCC-run various programmes to make the Dhaka city neat and clean. They, however, put forward a set of recommendations to improve the existing waste disposal mechanism, including effective public awareness, primary and secondary collections and final disposal sites.
A group of dwellers advocated the DCC for introduction of nighttime waste collection, ward-based central telephonic network and taking special care on hazardous wastes like medical and chemical wastes.
Sources said, in DCC areas, an estimated 3,200 metric tonnes of wastes were generated everyday and it has only 7,500 cleaners in 90 wards to dispose of the huge quantity of wastes.