A stinky welcome
Stench of municipal waste lining the roadside welcomes anyone entering Bagerhat city.
For a long time, the Bagerhat municipality has been dumping garbage collected from its wards 7, 8, and 9.
As such, all passengers on buses entering the town, as well as pedestrians and residents of the area endure the brunt of the municipality's mismanagement in waste disposal.
Easy-bike driver Sirajul Islam said, "Garbage remains piled up by roadside from Bagerhat bus stand to Sadhanar Mor, emitting a noxious odour, causing discomfort for passersby."
Echoing him, Jasmine Akter, a resident of the area, said, "The odour is unbearable. A town cannot work like this. I wonder what the municipality is doing with our taxes."
Tayabur Rahman, another locals, said, "The garbage flows into the nearby canal, obstructing its passage and contaminating the water. Come monsoon, the problem escalates, as dirty water floods the vicinity. Many dwellers leave the area on a regular basis."
Broadly speaking, the situation is same across the 16 square kilometres of Bagerhat municipality, established in 1958, with a present population of around 1.5 lakh.
Several other areas in the town, including Basabati, Bagerhat Government High School neighbourhood, Majhidanga and Mithapukur Par are going through the same predicament.
On June 23, 2019, Bagerhat municipality took up a Tk 8.32 crore project to set up a full-fledged waste management facility in Majhidanga area. A five-acre land was acquired to this end.
However, even after nearly five years, construction of the facility is yet to be completed. Meanwhile, the town's cleaners have been discarding the wastes in an unplanned way here and there on the acquired land.
TM Rezaul Haque, assistant engineer of Bagerhat municipality, said, "The waste management facility is yet to be completed, so wastes are often dumped in the acquired land in an unplanned way. Due to this the residents have been facing some problems."
"However, we are working on the issue. A Tk 35 crore 'Coastal Town Climate Resilient Project' has been taken up to set up a modern waste management system in the town and it will begin soon. Once the project is implemented, the existing issues regarding waste management will be resolved," he also said.
"Under the project, we will produce fuel oil, and fertilisers from the municipal wastes. Meanwhile, some NGOs are working on managing human wastes in the municipality," Rezaul added.
Comments