#Title

A foul-smelling nuisance

Roadside waste irks Khulna residents
DIPANKAR ROY, Khulna
The Sonadanga-Mujgunni highway has been transformed into a dumping ground, thanks to indiscriminate dumping of waste beside it by the Khulna City Corporation.
The highway, which was renovated just a couple of months ago spending Tk 50 crore, is less than 200 yards away from the Khulna Medical College Hospital.
According to locals, the road is one of the busiest in the area. Around 230 clinics, diagnostic centres, over 50 drug stores, and offices, including Indian visa centre, forest department office, and Khulna Nursing Institute, are located near the spot where garbage is being dumped.
The waste is being dumped over a 100-metre stretch, starting from the Directorate of Health Engineering office entrance.
Before the road was renovated, the KCC workers used to collect household waste from nearby areas and dump it in a brick-made dustbin, informed Mahafuzur Rahman, resident of the city’s ward-16.
“The dustbin had to be dismantled during the roadwork. So, the waste is being dumped beside the newly renovated road. Patients, their relatives, students, and locals who use this road have to walk past piles of rotting garbage,” he added.
Shahin Sheik, a tea stall owner, said, “People choose to walk away from my shop due to the unbearable stench coming from the garbage. The authorities don’t even clean the spot regularly.”
This correspondent, during a recent visit to the spot, saw numerous locals walking past the trash heaps with their hands covering their noses. Various stray animals were seen feeding off the trash. Speeding vehicles, dragging the waste with their wheels, further added to the menace.
“How can someone dump waste near the largest hospital in the division? Vehicles from the northern districts use this road. This also creates an obstruction for them,” said Shariful Islam Salim, secretary of Khulna Sammilita Sanskultur Jote.
Yeasir Masum, a student at Children’s Voice School, said, “We find it very difficult to walk through this road. The situation worsens when it rains.”
Hassan Iftekhar Chalu, councillor of ward-16, informed of plans to construct a Secondary Transfer Station (STS) in the area. “However, the garbage does make the environment unhealthy,” he added.
Rabiul Hasan, director of Khulna Medical College Hospital, patients from 10 districts of the division come to this hospital for treatment. “More than 1,500 patients are regularly admitted to the 500-bed hospital. At the same time, about 2,500 patients receive outdoor treatment here every day,” he added.
“However, patients and their relatives are facing problems due to this garbage being dumped in such a close proximity to the hospital. We are struggling to keep the hospital clean and free. Many patients are at risk of infection due to this. The authorities should stop this menace immediately,” he told this correspondent yesterdat.
There is no STS within a km as the corporation did not find any land nearby to set up one, informed Anisur Rahman, KCC conservancy officer.
Earlier, the authorities tried to establish one in PTI More, Zilla School, Boyra, and Nirala Mor. However, the plan only remained in discussions as they did not find any land.
“We try to collect the trash from time to time and even bleach the spot. However, locals also throw garbage here, which worsens the problem. The problem will only be solved when we find land to build a STS in the area,” he added.
The road is one of the busiest in the area. Around 230 clinics, diagnostic centres, over 50 drug stores, and offices, including Indian visa centre, forest department office, and Khulna Nursing Institute, are located near the spot where garbage is being dumped.