How Dhaka North manages waste without one-fourth vehicles

The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) resorted to renting 115 additional trucks and repurposing 27 heavy compactors originally used for canal cleaning to collect household waste as one-fourth of its waste-carrying vehicles were either burned or damaged during the recent unrest over the quota reform movement.

The Dhaka South City Corporation, which also suffered losses with damage to at least three vehicles, clears accumulated waste using existing vehicles on rotational duty to manage waste dumped on roads and in front of secondary transfer stations or STSs.

Due to the violence, waste management operations were halted in most areas from July 19 to 21 to ensure the safety of vehicles and workers.

The DNCC reported that out of its 175 waste-carrying vehicles, 46 were either burned or severely damaged. Significant damage was also inflicted on heavy compactors, with 10 being burned, it said.

The north city corporation estimated at least Tk205 crore in losses due to the damage. In the two city corporations, more than 20 waste management workers were injured during the unrest.

Each of the compactors, which were imported from Japan, cost over Tk5 crore. These compactors are capable of handling 10 times the waste of regular trucks. 

DNCC Mayor Md Atiqul Islam said it will take over 14 months to reimport these vehicles from Japan.

"We suffered significant losses due to the violence. With one-fourth of our waste-carrying vehicles damaged, waste management has been severely impacted. We are prioritising waste management with staff working in shifts during the curfew. However, normal operations are expected to resume only after Sunday. We have repurposed canal waste-carrying vehicles for household waste management," Atiqul told TBS.

Md Shafiullah Siddique Bhuiyan, executive engineer at DSCC's waste management department, said, "Waste removal was irregular due to the unrest and subsequent curfew. Consequently, waste piles accumulated on roads and in front of STSs. We have now removed most of the waste from these areas and have doubled the trips for waste removal using existing staff and vehicles." 

The waste management process is now gradually returning to normal, he added.

The Dhaka North has also reported that all types of waste have been cleared from the roads in areas that were extensively vandalised including Mohakhali, Mirpur, Kazipur, Uttara, Abdullahpur, Mohammadpur, Rampura, and Badda.

Dhaka North City Corporation's chief waste management officer Mohammad Fida Hasan told TBS, "We are now using the heavy compactors that were previously used for canal waste removal to transport household waste from STS to Aminbazar landfill. Since the container carriers were also damaged, waste that was previously stored in containers is now placed in open areas, and the waste is removed by truck."

He went on to say, "For now, we have temporarily halted canal waste removal and are focusing on removing waste from STSs. Where previously one trip was required, we are now making 2-3 trips to ensure the city remains clean. 

"We are in the process of importing dump trucks from India and are working to expedite the import of heavy vehicles from Japan as quickly as possible."

Meanwhile, Local Government Minister Md Tajul Islam and the Dhaka North mayor visited the damaged regional office in Mirpur-10 on Wednesday afternoon.

During the visit, the minister said, "The vandals have wreaked havoc in the Dhaka North City Corporation, the Dhaka South City Corporation, and the Narayanganj City Corporation, among other places across the country. They have carried out brutal attacks causing significant damage to lives and property. Those responsible for this sabotage will be brought to justice."

Atiqul said, "The Dhaka North City Corporation is a service-oriented organisation. Our job is to provide services to the citizens and keep the city clean. The vandals aimed to disrupt our ability to serve the public by carrying out acts of sabotage at various DNCC offices and facilities. The criminals have damaged a total of 67 DNCC vehicles."

The mayor said, "These vehicles were purchased with taxpayers' money. The criminals carried out this sabotage with the intention of preventing us from providing services to the public. By targeting a service-oriented organisation like the DNCC, they aimed to increase public suffering. We demand swift punishment for all those involved."

He also said, "Many drivers and cleanliness workers have been injured in the attacks. I call on the public to demand justice and resist those responsible for this destruction. We must reject these criminals."