Cities in Bangladesh do not fare well in global rating. Dhaka, in particular, is considered one of the least livable cities in the world. Poor or inadequate urban service delivery is one of the major reasons behind Dhaka's poor living conditions. Of key urban services, the collection and recycling of solid wastes are formidable challenges to keep the capital and other cities of Bangladesh clean and healthy. Numerous agencies, including city corporations have been working to manage household, business and industrial wastes. However, there is a lack of updated primary data and inadequacy of solid research to have better understanding of Dhaka's solid waste problem. It is in this perspective, the Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) has released a report on State of Cities: Solid waste management of Dhaka City. The report of BIGD of Brac University is likely to help fill the existing knowledge gap on waste issues.
The study reveals that the city generates about 6100 tonnes waste per day which is significantly higher than earlier projections. JICA, for instance, projected about a decade back that Dhaka city would generate 4600 tonnes waste per day by 2015. This also indicates that Dhaka's pace of urbanization has been much faster than it has been forecast. The per capita waste generation in the city is 377 gram each day. One of the encouraging findings of the report is that over the years waste collection rate has increased. The BIGD study has also captured constraints in addressing the city's solid waste problem. The City Corporations' budget, for instance, is inadequate. There is a coordination failure between private and public agencies. Across wards there are disparities in terms of infrastructural capacity, tax realization, timing of waste collection, payment on door-to-door services, among others. Unless cities do posses modern recycling facilities, it is hard to solve the garbage problem. The existing landfill sites lack sanitary features and might create new problems in a bid to solve old ones.
The report recommends that decentralization is one of the ways to tackle the localized problem of solid waste management, particularly addressing the heterogeneity that exists at the grassroots level. It is suggested to take the advantages of modern technology in beefing up monitoring and enforcement, particularly to address coordination failure among agencies. There is also a need for the involvement of NGOs and citizens in awareness building campaigns. It is expected that city corporations and other urban authorities will pay heed to the recommendations of BIGD that has a track-record in studying cities.
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