A road marred by garbage

Kishoreganj's  Natun Jailkhana area is right beside the busy Kishoreganj-Netrakona-Mymensingh highway. Hundreds of people reside in this place, and the highway is the entry point to Kishoreganj. Long-route buses going to Dhaka, Sylhet, Cumilla and Chattogram  ply the road on a regular basis.

Shockingly, out of all the places garbage could be dumped at, the municipal authorities have chosen Natun Jailkhana to dispose of wastes.

This status-quo has been prevailing for 10 years, and throughout all this time, locals have been suffering as bad odour emits from the temporary dumping station set up there all the time, said  Abul Hashim, a local and driver of a three-wheeler.

Sometimes, the garbage spills on the highway, creating a nuisance for scores of passengers who travel through it every day, he said. The situation deteriorates when it rains, as the  wastes get mixed with rainwater and flow to adjacent areas and local ponds.

On various occasions, locals urged municipal authorities to address this situation, which is also a health hazard, but they continued to turn a blind eye to this menace, the residents alleged.

Babul Mia, a transport worker, said hundreds of buses and other vehicles from Kishoreganj, Netrakona and Mymensingh use the road every day, and both passengers and transport workers are victims of the situation.

Md Azharul Islam, chairman of adjacent Binnati union parishad, said, "The highway is a bridge between Kishoreganj and the rest of the country. Traffic jams are a regular scene on this highway during night because of the garbage trucks."

Dr Saiful Islam, civil surgeon of Kishoreganj, said such temporary garbage stations beside localities make people vulnerable to different diseases, including respiratory problems and skin conditions. Such dumping pollutes the soil, air and water, harming the ecology.

Contacted, Kaiser Ahmed Riad, conservation officer of Kishoreganj municipality, said over 20 tonnes of garbage are produced in the municipality daily and the number increases every year. The municipality cleans the garbage regularly, and it has a cleaning staff of 350 workers, with nine garbage trucks.

He shifted the blame towards locals, claiming that they dispose of household wastes into the pond, polluting the environment there.

Golam Mohammad, chief engineer of the municipality, said the temporary garbage station  has been set up by renting land of Roads and Highways Department. He claimed that on "rare" occasions, when the garbage does spill onto the highway, the municipal staff clean it immediately.

"A project worth Tk 8 crore has been undertaken last year to build a permanent dumping station on 4.50 acres of land in Khilpara area," he said. "We're expecting to start the project within three months."

Md Hasan Zakir, chief executive officer of the municipality, said the current situation will improve once the project is completed.