CCC waste management in shambles
An open truck carries garbage at the busy Agrabad Sheikh Mujib Road, causing a serious public nuisance during daytime on Monday while the covered dump trucks, right, lying out of order at the Chittagong City Corporation main store at Sagorika Road.Photo: STAR
Garbage piling up at roadside is now commonplace, as the authorities fail to dispose of all 700 tons of garbage produced in the city everyday due to lack of adequate number of dump trucks. With only 50 dump trucks at its disposal, the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) is facing severe difficulties collecting the garbage from all points. On an average only 20 CCC dump vehicles, out of 100, carry wastes daily, sources said. Other vehicles have been lying for over one year for repair at the main store yard of the CCC regional office in the Sagarika area. CCC officials said of them, 18 vehicles are out of order and steps have been taken to repair the vehicles. The CCC authorities have hired 30 trucks from private companies for the waste management, they said. Four out of six CNG-run Volvo container carriers, used for pulling mobile container (movable dustbin), have been now lying in the store, they said. The important vehicles, including six pay loaders, seven tractor-wagons, nine chain-dozers and five excavators that are used in conservancy activities, have remained out of order for long. Forty Japanese Isuzu model dump trucks, including 20 with cover procured in 1992, need some repair work, sources at the store yard said. Only three, out of 18 Mitsubishi model compactors, for dumping garbage are now in use, they said. A CCC driver preferring anonymity said no repair work of the damaged dump trucks was done in last few months while many of the vehicles can be turned into functional ones with little repair work. Sources at the CCC Conservancy Department said there are 1243 permanent dustbins in different areas in the port city and many open spaces that have become temporary dustbins. Around 700 tones of waste and garbage gather in these dustbins everyday while CCC requires 70 to 80 dump trucks in three shifts a day for their disposal, they added. Abdul Malek, Executive Engineer of Transport (Maintenance) Department, said 45 dump trucks collect garbage in the morning shift, 35 in the afternoon and five trucks at night shift and dump those in three dumping stations in the city. But the department now can hardly provide 15 to 20 dump trucks a day and hire some trucks from private transport firms costing Tk 1300 per truck. Chief Conservation Officer Saifuddin Muhmud Katebi said due to shortage of dump trucks CCC hire 25 to 30 trucks daily for disposal of the wastes. But these vehicles are not sufficient enough for disposal of the garbage properly and regularly, causing environmental pollution, sources said. Dr Ridwanul Islam of Chittagong Medical College Hospital said many of the roadside dustbins and containers are now found overflowing for days. Moreover, movement of uncovered vehicles carrying wastages is causing sufferings to the commuters. Acting Mayor M Manjur Alam said CCC hires 30 trucks to continue the conservancy activity as the condition of the damaged dump trucks is so bad which would not be economic to repair them. He said the hired trucks are comparatively big in size and each of those carry three times more garbage than the CCC vehicles. He said they have decided to procure some dump trucks and repair some of the damaged ones soon to improve the garbage management. Meanwhile, the CCC at its 31st general meeting on Sunday decided to conduct its conservancy activities in ten wards primarily with the help of private initiative through out-sourcing system. A seven-member committee has been formed comprising ward commissioners and CCC officials to observe the activities of other city corporations, including Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) before taking the decision, Manjur said.
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