Waste disposal is a major problem for any big city, it is only more so for a megalopolis like Dhaka. The city's largely unplanned growth has compounded the problem and posed additional challenge to the management authority. A study conducted by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) estimates that 40 per cent of the total solid waste generated by the urban centres in the country remains uncared for. This confirms that other cities and towns are not in a better stead either. If the urban areas are struggling with management of solid waste, the rural areas are facing no less an alarming development involving fast depletion of organic matter there. About 83 per cent of soil in rural areas has been found to have less than 3.5 per cent organic content, confirming that the quality of soil was deteriorating there.
Clearly, the country's declining physical environment and soil fertility are a cause for serious concern. The BIDS study claims that that Dhaka city alone produces 3,800 tonnes of solid waste a day and in the wet season the waste generation records a 46 per cent rise. This is indication enough of the increasing challenges the urban centres face for disposal of waste. Both domestic and some industries produce organic solid waste where the domestic share is certainly greater. But when it comes to chemical waste and effluent, industries and factories are the main culprits. The BIDS study's focus is on organic solid waste here and obviously, its management can be rationalised if only the authorities desire so. Already, collection of such garbage at the community level has become more or less regular, although not scientifically advanced. Organic solid waste can not only be disposed of in a more systematic manner but also economically.
How? Application of advanced technology can separate solid matters in a manner where the harmful portion can be destroyed or recycled, leaving the major portion for use as sources of renewable energy. It was given to understand that such plants would be set up in convenient places outside of the capital for generation of power. But not much is heard about the progress of such a project these days. Why? Here is a solution to the garbage management problem -one that can be of help in getting rid of solid waste and at the same time will contribute to power generation.
The BIDs has found connection between the city's waste disposal problem and health problem. Sure enough, the immediate consequence is a sharp decline in sanitation. Poor and lack of sanitation causes environmental degradation leading to proliferation of vermin and germs. No wonder, the city population suffers from various health problems particularly in the wet seasons. The situation is at its worst in slums where urban services are almost absent. If the cities continue to grow like this and burst at their seams with more and more slums sprouting, this city and others will be waiting for a man-made urban disaster soon. Before this happens, let there be a comprehensive plan for organised habitation and livelihoods for the poor.