Covid-19 delays execution of modern sanitary landfill project in Sylhet

SYLHET, Nov 10: Construction of the long-desired modern sanitary landfill has become uncertain for reasons known best to the authority concerned.

Works on it has been lying suspended for over eight months, putting its fate uncertain for an indefinite period, locals said.

However, admitting the work suspension, the officials at the Sylhet City Corportaion (SCC) said time had recently been extended by the donor agency, World Bank (WB) for establishment of the modern sanitary landfill.

The project is being implemented with the target for management of all types of waste including the medical waste, informed the SCC Chief Engineer Nur Azizur Rahman on Monday. The SCC earlier started works on the facility with World Bank assistance worth Taka 600 million on a 15-acre site at the suburban Lalmatia area on the Sylhet-Fenchuganj road last year with a target to complete the works by 2020.

But due to the suspension of works amid the Covid 19 outbreak, things had to be suspended since the beginning of the year, said an official. However, the WB teams had visited twice the works site at the beginning prior to the Covid 19 outbreak.

Recently we got time extension from the authority, the official said adding, now we hope to complete the works by June 2021, as per the new deadline.

Meanwhile, the setting of the autoclave facility is complete for management of medical waste collected from the private hospitals in the city. It was formally inaugurated by the foreign minister, also the lawmaker from Sylhet Sadar constituency.

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