NATIONAL
Dhaka-Aricha waste dump to be cleared & replaced with neem trees on PM’s orders
Authorities clear a 1.8km waste dump along the Dhaka-Aricha highway near Savar on PM Tarique Rahman’s orders; site to be fenced and replanted with neem.
FARABI SAIFULLAH
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BIONIC READING
In a Nutshell:
- The government has begun removing waste along a 1.8-kilometer stretch of the Dhaka-Aricha highway near Boliarpur, Savar, after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman noticed the garbage while passing through four days earlier on his way to inspect an army summer exercise in Singair.
- State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam inspected the clean-up on Saturday morning, saying the site had no clear authority responsible for it since it fell under neither Dhaka North City Corporation nor Savar Municipality.
- Beyond the immediate clean-up, plans include fencing off the area, planting neem saplings, laying 15 feet of sand with netting, and building a separate landfill across the road for municipality waste.
Why it Matters
The case reveals a structural gap in how waste is managed in fast-growing areas around Dhaka, where overlapping or unclear jurisdiction lets problems go unaddressed for years.
- It reflects Savar Municipality's broader struggle with waste management: about 400 tonnes pile up daily with no effective disposal or recycling system, and the town spends roughly Tk50 lakh a month without a long-term fix.
- The state minister's remarks suggest a shift toward smaller, achievable goals like a "Clean Bangladesh, Green Bangladesh" push, along with a longer-term plan to outsource waste collection to professional firms starting this July.
What we think
The Savar clean-up is a good step, but similar waste piles sit untouched in many other parts of Dhaka.
- In Progati Sarani, near Bhatara Thana, garbage has piled up along the road, at times blocking half the street. In Rampura and Banasree, open dumping grounds line the road and riverbank near the Narai River, with waste sometimes burned in the open.
- The Savar highway only got cleared because the PM happened to notice it, but there are so many other areas that need that exact same attention to finally get cleaned up.