Improper Waste Management
Spread of disease looms over port city dwellers
Despite the presence of a dumpster of Chittagong City Corporation, garbage lies scattered around a road in Wasa Mor area of the port city. The photo was taken recently. Photo: Prabir Das
Chittagong city dwellers are under threat of catching different airborne and waterborne diseases as Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) is struggling to properly manage the huge amount of rubbish the dwellers churn out every day. Some 1,200 tonnes of garbage is produced by the city's approximate 50 lakh residents every day. CCC sources said it has 1,445 dustbins, 70 vehicles, two dumping grounds and 1,950 workers working round the clock to dispose of this trash. Apart from the inadequacy in its numbers, the city dwellers also complained that the dustbins were wrongly placed, mostly on busy roads and intersections and at the entrance of kitchen markets. The putrid odour coming off the open dustbins overflowing with garbage proved to be a nuisance to passers-by. However, residents of most areas were also seen dumping rubbish by the side of the road, causing the waste to scatter and pollute the surrounding environment. Mohammed Asad, a garment worker residing in Mailer Matha area, said the dustbin meant for his area's residents was right at the entrance of the alley leading to his house. “Every day the city corporation workers take out the garbage but in the process scatter waste all around. This makes crossing the dustbin troublesome. Moreover, the rotten smell coming out of the dustbin never goes away from the area,” he complained. He said the dustbin was always overflowing with garbage as only one spot for waste disposal was not adequate to cater for the thousands of people living in the area. Thousands of passers-by were also exposed to the rotten odour seeping out from the open dustbin, he said. On spot visits, The Daily Star found dustbins at almost every intersection, kitchen market and main road. Reazuddin Bazar, Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation Falpatti, Choumuhani Karnaphuli Market, Aturar Depot, Chittagong Export Processing Zone area, Bahaddarhat, Agrabad CDA, Bandartila, Steel Mill and Katgor were a few among those. Abul Hashem, an inhabitant of Nalapara area, said thousands of people every day happen to pass by the spots which incidentally house the dustbins. “If dustbins were placed at remote corners of different areas in the city, the situation would have been much better,” he suggested. About dustbins overflowing with rubbish, CCC Chief Conservancy Officer Shofiqul Mannan Siddique blamed the city dwellers for not discarding their garbage as per the time schedule provided by CCC. “We repeatedly appealed to the residents to dispose of their rubbish between 5:00pm and 7:00am. But the residents continue to discard their trash during the day,” he said. He admitted that the dustbins around the city had been placed without any previous plan and it was difficult to shift those to alternative spots now that those were proving to be a nuisance. There was always a danger of various airborne and waterborne diseases growing and spreading from overflowing dustbins and rubbish dumped on open roads, said CCC Health Officer Dr Mohammed Ali. Open dustbins spread rotten odours which can lead to respiratory diseases and decrease olfactory senses, he said. Germs could also reach groundwater sources by mixing with rain water and surface water. If consumed, the germs in the groundwater could cause waterborne diseases like diarrhoea, dysentery, jaundice and skin diseases, explained Ali. However, he blamed the city residents for the unhygienic condition of dustbins and the spread of garbage all around the city and urged them to be more conscious about where they dump their trash. “People must stop fly-tipping and practice putting the garbage inside dustbins. Until then, no garbage management system can succeed in hygienically managing garbage and make the city a clean, tidy and healthy place to live in,” he said.
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