The garbage that emits stink in Cumilla city, in many towns for that matter, holds a bright prospect of yielding fertiliser, gas, and electricity.
Residents of the area where the solid wastes are dumped will be relieved of their misery once the wealth generation from the filth starts, a source from Cumilla City Corporation said.
According to sources, the Ministry of Local Government has taken a plan for the treatment of garbage in a total of ten city corporations and municipalities of the country, including Cumilla. And fertiliser, gas, and electricity will come out as a spinoff from such waste treatment.
For this, the documents of six acres of land for garbage disposal have been sought from each of the city corporations and municipalities. Recently Cumilla City Corporation submitted their papers.
Meanwhile, garbage of Cumilla City Corporation has been dumped in Daulatpur area of Bibirbazar under Jagannathpur union of Cumilla Sadar upazila adjacent to the city for about thirty years. This is polluting the local environment.
People are getting infected with various diseases due to unplanned garbage dumping. Treatment of garbage is expected to alleviate human sufferings.
Garbage from 27 wards of the city is being dumped here. This has created a huge pile of garbage. It seems that the heap of garbage is touching the sky! White piles of garbage under the blue sky.
Workers are levelling the dunghill with a crane. However, the people of the surrounding villages are suffering due to the stench oozing out of the rubbish. They are suffering from various diseases.
Yunus Mia, an inhabitant of Daulatpur village, said, 'Garbage has been dumped here for the last 30 years. The stench of garbage has made it difficult to live in our village. I have been hearing for a long time that garbage will be treated but not seeing implementation. We want the plan to be implemented quickly'.
Humayun Kabir, a local resident, said, 'The garbage from the city corporation has now become a 'poison' for us. Our lives seem to have come to a standstill. Because of the stench of this garbage, no one wants to be a new relative in this area.
"Despite repeated protests by the people of the area, the city corporation has not taken any initiative to solve this problem for many years. As the days go by, our misery increases."
Safi Ullah, an old man from the same village, said, "The stench of garbage could be realed from a distance of one kilometre. Especially during the current monsoon season, these wastes are spread on the surrounding water bodies and roads through rainwater. People are being affected by various diseases."
Dr Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, president of Bangladesh Environment Movement (BAPA), Cumilla branch, said, "Public health in the area is under threat due to unplanned dumping of garbage. It is important to determine the place of dumping by adopting a precise plan quickly."
Shah Mohammad Alamgir Khan, a business leader from Cumilla, said, "The area's livestock and biodiversity were being damaged along with the people due to Daulatpur's garbage. The demand for treatment of the garbage here is long standing. People will benefit if it is done."
Cumilla City Corporation Supervising Engineer Sheikh Mohammad Nurullah said the Ministry of Local Government has adopted a plan to treat the waste of a total of ten city corporations and municipalities in the country, including Cumilla City Corporation, from which fertiliser, gas and electricity will be produced. "Papers have been sought for six acres of land for dumping garbage. We have recently submitted the papers."
Cumilla City Corporation Mayor Mohammad Monirul Haque Sakku said, "The project is at an early stage. Hopefully, if it is approved, we will be able to treat waste. This will benefit the locals."
