Pedestrians suffer for garbage dump on Ishwarganj Highway

Mymensingh Correspondent :

In Ishwarganj, municipal waste is being dumped beside the highway. The foul smell from the garbage has made it difficult to travel along the road. Trucks and vans loaded with waste are dumping garbage daily in an open space, turning one side of the road into a dumping ground. Crows and dogs drag and scatter the waste everywhere. From there, a stench spreads throughout the entire area. The rotting waste mixes with the air, spreading diseases.
On the spot, it was seen that on the northern side of Ishwarganj Bridge, the bank of the Kachamatia River has been filled up, and garbage is now spreading onto the highway. As the municipality does not have its own designated dumping site, waste is being irresponsibly dumped in an open space adjacent to the Ishwarganj Bridge on the Mymensingh-Kishoreganj highway, an area densely populated with residential settlements.
The putrid odor spreads in all directions, forcing pedestrians to cover their noses with cloths and handkerchiefs while passing through the area. Very close to where the waste is being dumped are residential houses, a mosque, five commercial banks, and numerous shops.
Pedestrian Farhana Akter Tuli (35), expressing anger, said that this is a main road. Thousands of people and vehicles travel along this road every day. Due to the foul smell, it is difficult not only to walk but even to breathe while passing through the area. Cloth merchants Kazi Ejazul Haque and Shahjahan Mia of Bhuiya Super Market said that customers are reluctant to visit their shops because of the stench.
Prominent businessman Shamsul Islam Bhuiya, a resident of Ishwarganj Press Club Road, said that in addition to the foul smell, dry waste dumped there is often set on fire, causing smoke from burning waste to engulf the entire area for two to three days.
During that time, it becomes difficult for them even to breathe. They have repeatedly applied to have the dumping site removed from the residential area, but the municipal authorities have not once considered the unbearable suffering. They demand the immediate removal of the garbage dump from the area.
Regarding the matter, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr. Md. Zakir Hossain said that foul odors and smoke mix with the air and disrupt the balance of oxygen, which may cause breathing difficulties and inflammation of the lungs.
Municipal Administrator Salauddin Biswas said that the municipality does not have a specific site. If residents can identify a place, waste will be dumped there. A location is being sought for permanent waste management. Once land is found, it will be acquired and necessary measures will be taken.