April 29, 2024

DHAKA – The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has initiated a pilot project aimed at tackling the dengue outbreak by purchasing discarded items that are left in the open.

The month-long campaign was inaugurated recently, with plans to continue if successful.

Experts have praised the DNCC initiative, foreseeing it as a potential model for waste collection.

However, they emphasised the importance of ensuring transparency in the process, given that public funds are involved.

At its 26th council meeting on April 4, DNCC decided to buy discarded items such as polythene, chips packets, coconut shells, and more from residents.

Residents in DNCC areas can exchange specified items for cash at their ward councillor’s office.

During the inauguration, many sold their collected trash in presence of DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam.

Shohag, a student, said, “When I heard about the initiative, it seemed interesting. So I collected some empty packets of chips from a friend’s house and sold those.”

Sabikun Nahar, another student, sold a bag of ice-cream cups. “I like to collect ice-cream cups to make some goodies. However, when I heard about the initiative, I decided to sell them.”

According to DNCC officials, the purchasing rates are as follows: Tk 1 for each packet of chips, Tk 2 for each coconut shell, Tk 10 for each ice-cream packet, and Tk 50 per kilogramme for discarded polythene.

Furthermore, other items such as containers made of clay, plastic, melamine, or ceramic will be purchased at Tk 3 each, abandoned tyres at Tk 50 each, abandoned commodes, and basins at Tk 100 each, and other discarded plastic items at Tk 10 per kilogramme.

Benazir Ahmed, a former member of the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group of the health ministry, said, “In a city in Brazil, the administration collected wastes in a similar initiative that played an effective role in preventing dengue.”

Adil Mohammed Khan, president of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners, stressed the importance of ensuring the involvement of waste producers and transparency in the process.

Contacted, Mayor Atiqul Islam said the programme would continue for the next month, with an initial allocation of Tk 25 lakh.

Responding to concerns about the logic of buying waste with public money when DNCC has a waste management department, he emphasised the importance of prioritising public health.

“If we think about money now, it won’t work. Even a discarded packet of chips can be the reason for a person’s death from dengue. We are paying Tk 1 for a packet of chips, but people’s lives cannot be evaluated in monetary terms,” he said.

“Also, it is impossible for the waste management department to pick up all the garbage lying on the streets,” he added.