Dhaka filling up with garbage

In the aftermath of the mayhem that saw the destruction of multiple public infrastructures across Dhaka city on July 18-20, we face a grim, putrid reality. While several service sectors have been severely disrupted due to the violent clashes and attacks, the city's garbage management system has also collapsed. According to media reports, since July 18, the authorities have been unable to collect household waste from residential and other areas. As a result, Dhaka has been filling up with garbage.

The events of the last one week disrupted the garbage management system of both city corporations. Garbage collection was halted during the complete shutdown called by the quota reform movement. Later, saboteurs vandalised garbage management offices and vehicles. According to a report by this daily, four garbage-carrying compactors and 29 vehicles including 10 garbage-carrying container carriers used by the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) were set ablaze at its zone-4 office in Mirpur-10 on Friday and Saturday. Meanwhile, in the Matuail landfill area, four garbage-carrying vehicles of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) were burnt down, Prothom Alo reported. Amounting to Tk 120 crore in losses, these made up one-fourth of DNCC's garbage management fleet and had the collective capacity of carrying 400 tonnes of waste.

The DNCC mayor has said his office is prioritising garbage removal and has staff working in shifts amid the curfew, but it will still take a week for things to go back to normal for all kinds of crisis. If the garbage is left to rot out in the open, it poses a serious threat to not only public health and well-being, but the environment as well.

The massive loss has greatly affected the city corporations' garbage management system, the result of which is visible now. Piles of household waste are seen lying on the streets, spreading stench around. Collectors have not visited households for the last four or five days, forcing people to dump their garbage either in the local garbage containers or directly on the streets, per another report in this daily. The secondary transfer stations are full to the brim and the garbage is now spilling onto the streets in several areas of the city. We understand that this is an unprecedented situation, and the city authorities have limited resources at the moment. But they should have had a back-up plan.

The DNCC mayor has said his office is prioritising garbage removal and has staff working in shifts amid the curfew, but it will still take a week for things to go back to normal for all kinds of crisis. If the garbage is left to rot out in the open, it poses a serious threat to not only public health and well-being, but the environment as well. Moreover, if it rains, the garbage could block the drains and cause water-logging, exacerbating the problem. We urge the city corporations to be more prudent in handling the situation and mobilise the available resources to urgently remove all the garbage from the streets to prevent another potential crisis.