City clean-up drive

IN response to a prime ministerial directive to keep the city clean, the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) has decided to undertake a fortnightly cleanliness drive. Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka has already asked his men to make sure that the dustbins on the VIP roads are cleaned out before the office hours begin. The mayoral instruction has a lot of room for cynical interpretation. One may feel the latest cleanliness drive could also prove cosmetic, with the DCC focusing on areas frequented by government high-ups and ignoring the problem areas in this regard.

The question is, even if the DCC were serious about the keep-city-clean drive, which we hope it is, could it possibly pull it off? On the fringes, perhaps yes, but in general terms given its personnel and logistical realities, the answer is a big no. Let us explain why. The DCC conservancy team, which is in charge of solid waste disposal, has 242 trucks, 100 of them inoperative, and some 6,000 cleaners, many of them allegedly do not work properly. In a city where more than 10 million people live and where approximately 5,000 tonnes of solid waste is generated every day, the arrangement is simply unrealistic. Little wonder, the DCC collects only 40 per cent of the garbage, leaving the rest to rot out in the open and pose health hazard to the residents.

Therefore, towards a clean city, the DCC has to first bring about some order in its conservancy team. Obviously, it needs more men and machines. However, before new addition, the DCC should sort out the problems the conservancy department now faces. The out-of-order-trucks should be repaired and put back on the road. On the personnel front, there should be regular monitoring so as to determine who are cutting corners.

Ultimately, though, the policymakers have to think about involving the private sector in waste management and recycling. As far as we know, one non-government organisation has already shown promising signs in waste collection and composting. It has proved that organic contents of the solid can be successfully made into compost and used as fertiliser. We are sure more private organisations would be keen to try it out, if they get support from the government.