The Surma River becomes Sylhet City’s junkyard
19 Thousand tonnes of Plastic was generated in 2021!!
Dhaka 26th January 2022: In 2021, around 54 tons of plastic waste was generated a day in Sylhet City Corporation – SCC, where the most used single-use plastic products were sachets, one-time used utensils, and personal care products. The Environment and Social Development (ESDO) today released its new research report entitled “The Plastic Deluge: In the Sylhet City Corporation Area, Bangladesh”. The study was conducted collaboratively by ESDO and the University of Portsmouth. under the STEPP (Sustainable Transitions to End Plastic Pollution) project.
The study described the current state of plastic waste in Sylhet City Corporation to have a better understanding of the common view of plastic product usage. Mr. Ariful Haque Choudhury, Honorable Mayor, Sylhet City Corporation attended the event as Chief Guest. “Waste management is the number one challenge for us. In this critical period, the ESDO study report is very important and will help us implement our comprehensive waste management initiatives. Segregation at the source is the most important issue of sustainable waste management, and community participation is highly needed for that” he said.
According to the study, it was found that of the total generated waste 67% are waste organic, 17% are plastic waste, 3% are e-waste, 2% are medical waste and 1% are other waste. The mismanagement of safety products, which are largely made of polymers, has exacerbated the situation of plastic pollution in Sylhet city. The discarded waste contains a variety of plastics, the most common of which are single-use plastic like plastic or poly bags, plastic bottles, personal care products, sachets or mini packs, food-packaging, one-time utensils such as disposable cutlery along with plastic shoes, ornaments, baskets, barrels, plastic furniture, PVC fittings, PVC banner, festoon, and plastic toys. Among all plastic waste, 78% is single-use plastic.
From the previous research, it was found that in Sylhet, from the year 2005 to 2010 there was an increased rate of 17 tons/year and it decreased to 12.5 tons/year from 2010 to 2014. Referring to this data, an average of 14.75 tons/year can be considered till the year 2020. However, during this study, a sharp increase in plastic waste generation was observed in Sylhet City Corporation during the COVID-19 pandemic making the yearly increase at 18 tons/year in the Year 2020-2021. These plastic wastes have become a serious threat not to just people living there but also to the environment.
The Honorable Mayor of Sylhet City Corporation Mr. Ariful Haque Choudhury also said “We are trying to manage these plastic wastes appropriately. However, only govt.’s effort will not work unless the residents come forward to help. But we are optimistic that together we will be able to manage this plastic wastes and can reduce the use of single-use plastic products.”
Syed Marghub Murshed, Former Secretary of Bangladesh and Chairperson of ESDO addressed Sylhet’s severe plastic waste issue in his speech asked the government to strictly implement existing regulatory restrictions on the use of single-use plastic products, particularly poly bags. He also urged the government and concerned organizations to build and supervise a sustainable waste management system at all of Sylhet’s tourist sites.
According to Dr. Cressida Bowyer, Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Lead, Revolution Plastics, University of Portsmouth, UK, ‘From the study we found that the open dumping practice in Sylhet City is leading to various problems like pollution and health hazards. It was also seen that both surface and groundwater are affected by this. This underlines the current waste management system is not sustainable.’
Dr. Shahriar Hossain, Secretary General of ESDO and also the team leader of the study stated that an integrated waste management system is very important. In fact, sustainable waste management solutions are possible through zero waste planning and methods. The most recently published Solid Waste Management Act emphasizes the segregation of waste from sources. He further said that the individual bin system is very important and needs public awareness.
Executive Director of ESDO, Ms. Siddika Sultana, expressed her concern on this matter and asked the government to promote cost-effective alternatives to single-use plastics and enforce a legal framework.
The baseline survey for the study was conducted among 600 consumers, 270 retailers, 150 waste pickers and a few manufacturers. The key informant interview was conducted among 15 people who were mostly officials of the bank and other private sectors.
Plastic pollution is causing direct and indirect harm to all creatures, from humans to zooplanktons, by polluting the environment. The dumping site for the deposition of waste of SCC is open. Disposal of waste to this open dumpsite increases the risk of various infectious diseases and physical impairment. This is also to be considered that Sylhet is rain prone area and has a longer monsoon period. So, the drainage problem is severe Sylhet and plastic waste is making it even worse by blocking the drainage system. Due to the connection between these rivers, plastic wastes from India are migrating in Bangladesh and as the Surma river form into Meghna with Kushiyara river and ultimately flow into the Bay of Bengal, these wastes are also ending up in the Bay of Bengal River affecting the aquatic ecosystem. Because of these plastic wastes, not just people but also the aquatic animals in that rivers are being affected badly. Besides, Surma rivers pass through many haors which are also being affected by the plastic wastes are flowing through the Surma River. The biodiversity of the Surma River and its connected haors are destroyed because of plastic pollution.
For more information please contact:
Hridita Ferdous
Assistant Program Officer – ESDO
Email: info@esdo.org
Mobile: +8801726053420
