New move for clean, green port city

One picture is worth ten thousand words, said a Chinese thinker. But it sometimes may take ten thousand words to describe the deficient handling of garbage in Chittagong city, which is frequently delineated in pictorial reports by this newspaper, showing how the indiscriminate dumping of waste is filling up canals and sewerage system, contributing to air pollution, inundation and water-logging  in many parts of the city.

Eventually, to lessen the residents' miseries and make the city clean as well as green, the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) is embarking upon a new initiative for collecting garbage from the residents' doorsteps from the end of May, said Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CCC Kazi Mohammad Shafiul Alam.

The door-to-door garbage collection will start initially in 7 wards--Enayetbazar, Al-karon, Uttar Pathantuli, Gosaildanga, Bagmonirum, Shulokbahar and Pashchim Sholoshahar, and gradually be extended to the remaining 34 wards, added  the CEO.

It is, however, worth mentioning that in September last year, CCC Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin introduced a night-time waste disposal move as part of making the port city more healthy and liveable.

The CCC made announcements asking the city dwellers to place their waste in designated bins between 7:00pm and 11:00pm.

To make the move a success, the CCC also sought cooperation of them. But, people are still seen dumping garbage here and there, ignoring the CCC's urge. CCC's Chief Conservancy Officer (acting) Sheikh Shafiqul Mannan Siddique said over 1200 tonnes of garbage are generated every day by the residents.

Currently, there are 1,350 dustbins and 96 containers in different spots, from which conservancy workers remove garbage every day after 11:00pm to two landfill sites in Halishahar and Arefin Nagar, he added.  

As the people are still dumping trashes indiscriminately here and there, the CCC is taking this new initiative, said CCC sources.  

Two bins--one for perishable and another for non-perishable waste-- will be supplied to each household, and the conservancy workers will take the waste to the dumping sites, they added.  

The open dumpsters will be removed once the new initiative starts working effectively, said the CCC officials.