Experts for concerted efforts to manage solid wastes

Government officials and non-governmental organisations' workers on Thursday called for concerted efforts by people from all walks of life for creating awareness of the need for solid waste management.

They also urged the government to take effective measures for proper waste management.

They were speaking at a workshop at BIAM auditorium in the capital held under the Urban Public and Environment Health Sector Development project initiated by the local government ministry and the Asian Development Bank.  

Presenting a keynote paper at the workshop, ATM Nurul Amin, dean of environmental science and management department of North South University, said the government should formulate a policy to manage wastes.

Abu Alam Mohammad Shahid Khan, secretary of the LGRD ministry, observed that anarchy prevailed in waste management situation across the country for a long time, saying that urban people were mostly responsible for creating the problem.

He said people from all walks of life should be careful and help each other to manage wastes. 

The secretary also said the government was trying to involve municipal police to assist the city corporations and municipalities to monitor waste management.

Department of environment director general Monowar Islam said a study of the department showed that in 2005 every day about 3,500 metric tonnes of wastes generated in Dhaka city and figure went up to 6,000 metric tonnes in 2010.

He said laws should be framed with provision for penalty if any person throws wastes at unauthorised places.

The UPEHSD project was launched in January 2010 in six municipalities—Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barishal, and Sylhet.The project would continue till December 2014.

Through this project landfills, composting factories and testing laboratories would be set up.

Officials said public private partnership was an important tool for effective solid waste management.

Representative from Dhaka City Corporation, Rajshahi City Corporation and Khulna City Corporation, and different NGOs attended the workshop.

source:NewAge