Addressing landfill crisis

Dhaka city dwellers face many problems every day. Of them, waste management is a major one. However, it is an issue that has remained the least addressed. The two city corporations responsible for waste management cannot be praised for their job of maintaining the capital city's cleanliness. Rather, they do not seem to have any plan for the growing city's garbage dumping. The two landfills -- Matuail and Aminbazar -- have almost reached their limit. The 100-acre Matuail Landfill -- used by the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) -- reportedly has piles of garbage around 20 metres high, while the 52.88-acre landfill at Aminbazar -- used by the DNCC -- is already nine metres high. The near-full capacity landfills have already become an environmental worry. Thousands of people living near the landfills suffer daily from the constant stench as well as air and plastic pollution.
According to a study, Dhaka city produces around 3,500 tonnes of waste every day. If the city corporation authorities do not start looking for new places that can be used as landfills, we may face a terrible situation soon.

Fariha Tabassum Piya,
Student of Department of Management,
University of Dhaka, Dhaka,
[email protected]