Garbage has been dumped unabated right beside Dhaka-Chattogram highway at Nazirabazar in Cumilla for years with no authorities taking care of the issue.

People from Nazirabazar and adjacent villages pile all sorts of waste there under the open sky, causing public nuisance. The spot stretching around 200 metres emits hard-to-tolerate smell round the clock.

Locals said around 3,000 families live in the village under Burichang upazila. As the area is located near Mainamati tourist zone, many new settlers have started residing there, they said.

"People from miles away come here to dump garbage. Many highway restaurant operators do the same," said Anwar Hossain, a youth from Nazirabazar.

"Such dumping for around four years has brought us extreme level of sufferings. We want an end to this," he added.

A local high school teacher Rafikul Islam said, "Many of our villagers are suffering from different types of diseases as we have to breathe stinky air."

"People of all ages are at risks of being infected with respiratory, lung and mosquito-borne diseases," said Dr Mir Hossain Mithu, Burichang upazila health officer.

In a recent visit, this correspondent has found not only garbage but also bodies of dead animals dumped beside the highway. Passers-by were covering their noses to get rid of putrid stench.

Although the Department of Environment has asked the local union parishad to remove the garbage, no action was taken yet.

Contacted, Runaet Amin Reza, assistant director of DoE in Cumilla, said, "We have already sent a letter to the Mainamati Union Parishad chairman around one month ago for keeping the area clean. If we observe that no progress is made, we will talk to our senior officials for the next course of action."

In response, Mainamati UP Chairman Lalon Haider said, "There is no doubt that the situation is worsening day by day. But we don't get any logistic facility from the government for proper garbage management."

Burichang Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sabina Yesmin said, in an area like Nazirabazar, individuals are basically responsible for managing their respective garbage. Besides, the union parishad cannot avoid accountability to ensure it.

The UP chairman said, "We have no place where we can relocate such a big amount of waste."

UNO Sabina Yesmin said, "We are looking into how can we provide the local administration with a piece of khas land for a designated dumping spot."