Malibagh waste transfer station turns into pedestrians’ woes

A damaged secondary waste transfer station under a flyover close to the Malibagh intersection – one of the busiest points in the capital – has been a source of suffering for residents nearby.

Although there are walls on three sides of the station, its road-facing front is flat and there is no management. Worse still, garbage is dumped on the road in front of it.

Pedestrians and locals are exasperated with the stench and their repeated complaints about the mismanagement have fallen on the deaf ears of the authorities.  

About 40 van loads of garbage are brought from Ward No 11 and 12 under the Dhaka South City Corporation every day and stored in the station till night.

However, most of the waste is dumped on the street in front of the station and sorted and filled into containers. There is also a garbage container on the road.

Afzal Hossain travels from the Malibagh circle to Rajarbagh every day. He hires a rickshaw or goes on foot. But every time he has to hold his nose to avoid inhaling the unpleasant smell.

"How can a city be habitable when household waste is dumped on the main street?" a frustrated Afzal told The Business Standard.

"You can't walk on the stinking road. During the daytime, the unloading of garbage from vans leads to traffic jams. Occasionally there is a residual odour on rotten items. In addition, this place remains damp for most of the time and even bleaching powder is not sprinkled on a regular basis," he added.

Afzal is one among thousands of others who use the same route to travel to their own destinations.

The effects of such garbage mismanagement do not end here. There are several food stalls in front of the garbage station, while counters of Green Line Transport, an intercity bus service, and Rajarbagh Police Lines School and College are located on the other side. Customers of the food shops, bus passengers and students, their guardians and teachers are the worst victims.

Photo: TBS

Very often, people turn away without eating at the stalls when the stench hits them. Arafat Rahman has placed glass along his food shop in a bid to reduce the stench.

"Even then I did not get rid of the stench. We complained several times and in response, the authorities used bleaching powder, which is also not available right now," he told TBS.

After collecting kitchen waste from Gulbagh in Ward No. 12, Abdul Ali dropped it in a container at the Malibagh garbage station.

He told TBS that the amount of waste brought here every day cannot be accommodated in containers inside the station, so the garbage is eventually thrown on the road.

This problem continues from morning to afternoon due to a scarcity of space inside the station.

KM Mamun Rashid Shuvro, councillor of Ward No. 12, told TBS that the ward authorities cannot manage it properly as the garbage station has got damaged. There is a plan to close it down in a few days. Another station has been set up for this ward. Most of the garbage will be taken to the new station.

He said it is possible to sprinkle bleaching powder every day instead of just 2-3 times a month, as is being done at present.

"I will warn employees not to keep dirt on the road and to separate the waste while they are inside the station," he added.