About 500 tons of waste is produced every day in Sylhet, a city of about 1 million people. Sylhet City Corporation (CCIC) and Lafarge Holcim Bangladesh launched the country's first 'Material Recovery Facility' (MRF) plant with the aim of turning this huge waste into resources. Hundreds of tonnes of waste are being segregated every day with the help of advanced technology. Almost a year and a half after the launch of the project, it is seen that the main problem of waste management still remains in the same place.
A portion of the waste segregated at the plant is recycled, but the remaining bulk is piled up inside the dumping station. As a result, the mountain of dirt is growing every day.
At the same time, it has been alleged that the black liquid waste released from the dumping station is spreading on the surrounding agricultural land and water bodies. Locals claim that the environment, agriculture and biodiversity are being damaged.
According to sources, Sylhet City Corporation and Lafarge Holcim Bangladesh have jointly set up a state-of-the-art waste separation plant at the Lalmatia Dumping Ground in South Surma at a cost of about 16 crore taka for the purpose of waste management in an environmentally friendly manner. The plant was officially inaugurated on February 17, 2024, but full operations began in the middle of that year.
The aim of the project was to separate the city's waste to recover recyclable material, reduce environmental pollution and reduce pressure on dumping stations. Actual situation shows that although a part of the waste is recycled, a large amount of garbage is still accumulating inside the dumping station.
According to Sylhet City Corporation, the city generates about 500 tonnes of waste on an average every day. Out of this, 250 to 300 tons of waste comes from houses and households. These wastes are collected by the cleaners of the city corporation and taken to the dumping station. A portion of the remaining waste is recycled through scrap dealers. Some wastes are released into the environment through drains and spills and are buried in the ground in some areas. As a result, all the waste generated in the city does not come under the management of the city corporation.
Mohammad Eklim Abdin, chief waste officer of CCIC, said that at present, about 475 tons of waste is produced in the entire city every day. Out of this, more than 300 tonnes of waste is being collected and transported. About 150 to 300 tonnes of waste is processed daily in the MRF plant installed at the dumping station. An average of 50 to 70 tonnes of plastic and polythene is separated through waste segregation.
These plastics and polythene are sent to Lafarge Holcim's cement factory in Chatak, Sunamganj by several trucks every day. There they are used as alternative fuels. However, effective management of the huge amount of waste that remains after separating plastics is yet to be ensured. Most of these wastes are left inside the dumping station. As a result, another layer of waste is added.
Garbage is being picked up by trucks
On the surface, it can be seen that huge piles of waste are lying under the open sky at different places of the dumping station. Some are mountains of old waste, some are heaps of freshly processed waste. As new waste is added every day, the size of the dumping station is increasing.
When you go to the area around Lalmatia dumping station, the first thing that comes to your nose is a strong stench. Locals complain that they have to live with this stench for years. People passing by the dumping station said that many times they have to cross the road by holding their noses. The stench becomes more intense especially during hot weather and after rain. With the expansion of the dumping station, their suffering also increased. Along with the stench, the infestation of mosquitoes has also increased.
The biggest complaint of the locals is about the black colored liquid waste or leachate emitted from the dumping station.
It can be seen on the surface, dark colored liquid from various parts of the dumping station is flowing into the low area through the drain. It is alleged that these liquids are spreading towards the surrounding land, canals and banks.
Jamal Miah, a resident of Parairchak area, said, “During the rains, the water coming out of the dumping station enters the agricultural land. It destroys the rice seedlings. The land which used to have a good yield, now the production has decreased. There are no fish in the nearby lakes and ponds.”
Some locals complain that although the plant has modern technology, the necessary infrastructure for environmental protection is still not adequate. As a result, new environmental risks are being created along with positive waste management initiatives.
Regarding the complaint, Sylhet City Corporation Chief Waste Officer Mohammad Eqlim Abdeen said, “There should have been a 'leachate management' system at the dumping station. However, no such system has been developed in the last 15 to 20 years.”
“Once the liquid waste was released due to heavy rains and floods. Later it was brought under control with quick measures,” he said. He also said that they do not have any information about liquid waste going out regularly.
In response to a question about dumping the processed waste again at the dumping station, the official said, “It is not possible to solve all the problems in one day. Discussions are underway with the Ministry of Environment and a Chinese company about the possibility of generating electricity from waste. Besides, through 'biomining' technology, it is also possible to process old waste, but this requires a large investment.”
Regarding the daily supply of plastic to Lafarge, he said, “The agency is providing technical support and maintaining the plant. By removing around 50 tonnes of plastic and polythene every day, the pressure on the dumping station is reduced. At present, the city corporation does not have the infrastructure or sufficient manpower to segregate, store and market this waste.”
