Kallyanpur canal project shows how to combat plastic pollution in Dhaka

One fine morning in late February this year, while most people hurried past the dirty, plastic-filled water of the Kallyanpur Canal in Adabor, a group of students from the nearby Hazrat Ayesha (RA) Academy arrived with something else in their mind. 

"We will clean the canals ourselves; it's our responsibility to keep them clean," said Niha, a fourth grade student. She and her classmates were there not just to watch, but to lead a canal-cleaning programme as the day's "chief guests".

The event was organised by RedOrange Communication in collaboration with Dhaka North City Corporation, as part of their campaign titled "Save Canals, Save City". 

This initiative actually began in an unexpected place — a local mosque sermon. 

Teachers from Hazrat Ayesha (RA) Academy, who attended the sermon, were inspired by a similar effort carried out at Nobodigonto Adarsha High School under the same campaign. Motivated by what they heard, they decided to bring the movement to their own school.

And so, earlier in February, RedOrange visited the school to kick-start the initiative. They conducted sessions to educate both students and teachers about the environmental dangers of plastic waste. They also distributed reading materials, held interactive discussions, and encouraged students to involve their families in raising awareness.

"Ask your parents how they use plastic. Where does the waste go?" they challenged the students — who eagerly took up the task. They brought the awareness materials home, sparking conversations that reached far beyond the school walls.

By the time the canal-cleaning day arrived, excitement spread among both students and their families. That morning, the children stood proudly, gloves on, as they worked together to pull plastic bottles, wrappers and bags from the murky water.

With Dhaka North authorities overseeing the event and teachers attending as special guests, the students chanted in unison, "Let's clean and show everyone how it's done."

But this was just one aspect of the initiative, which had a bigger vision of installing innovative floating nets, engaging local communities, and enhancing the effectiveness of existing waste collection and recycling infrastructure to reduce plastic waste pollution. 

"What sets our barriers apart is their adaptability. Each module is designed to suit varying canal depths, with ends measuring 1 foot and a middle section ranging from 2 to 3 feet. This modular design allows for easy installation in canals of different depths… without obstructing aquatic life or water flow. Only surface-level waste is trapped." Dr Rumana Afrin, Associate Professor, United International University and Research Consultant, 'Save Canals, Save City' project

The Kallyanpur Canal, like many others in Dhaka, is burdened with more than 600,000 kilograms of waste every month, around 60,000 kilograms of which is plastic. 

This waste not only clogs the city's drainage systems and exacerbates monsoon flooding, but also flows into the Buriganga River and ultimately the Bay of Bengal. With 1.5 million people living in the vicinity, many of them in informal settlements with no formal waste collection, the canal has become a dumping ground. 

Once, the city had nearly 2,000 ponds that helped maintain ecological balance. Today, only 29 remain. In their absence, single-use plastic — bags, bottles and packaging — chokes the few remaining waterways. No long-term, large-scale effort had been made to address the issue until recently.

Against this backdrop, the "Save Canals, Save City" campaign in Kallyanpur was launched by RedOrange in collaboration with the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the World Bank. 

"When RedOrange began this project, we reflected on how a flat city like Amsterdam manages and preserves its canals. In contrast, we often look for ways to cover ours. This realisation sparked the idea behind our initiative," said Jannatul Munia, director of Strategy at RedOrange.

The project's central framework, the Five-for-One Integrated Approach, included installing floating plastic barriers, building stakeholder capacity, engaging local authorities, involving the recycling community and waste pickers, and introducing low-cost technical innovation. 

The initiative, which rolled onto the ground in September last year, was also well-timed, aligning closely with the interim government's recent push to tackle plastic pollution. 

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has announced a nationwide ban on single-use plastics, which began rolling out in shopping malls from 1 October 2024, with plans to extend the ban to all markets from 1 November 2024, even though that has yet to be materialised. 

Even so, the policy shift created a supportive environment for grassroots actions like this. However, turning the project from idea to reality required more than enthusiasm — it needed smart, technical solutions.

Dr Rumana Afrin, associate professor of civil engineering at United International University, explained how the team designed floating barriers that could adapt to canals of varying depths, ensuring they were both effective and easy to implement across different areas.

"We received 15 hotspots from the Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC). During our visits to these locations, we observed that uncontrolled and low-income settlements had developed along the canals," Dr Afrin shared.

These households were situated directly beside the canals, with water flowing past the backs of their homes. As a result, many residents disposed of waste directly into the canals. There was no proper waste collection or disposal system in these areas, causing a large portion of the waste to end up in the canals and disrupt the natural flow of water.

In response, the team installed floating barriers at three of the identified hotspots: Mohammadiya Housing Society (full-width barrier), Adabor Kachabazar (half-width barrier), and Kallyanpur Pump House (full-width barrier). The half-width barrier design at Adabor reflected an innovative approach — keeping part of the canal open for boat navigation while still capturing floating waste.

"What sets our barriers apart is their adaptability. Each module is designed to suit varying canal depths, with ends measuring 1 foot and a middle section ranging from 2 to 3 feet. 

"This modular design allows for easy installation in canals of different depths—such as 1.5 feet in Ramchandrapur and 3.5 feet in Mohammadiya and Kallyanpur—without obstructing aquatic life or water flow. Only surface-level waste is trapped," Dr Afrin explained.

The community was actively involved, and DNCC supported both waste collection and disposal. The researchers also proposed the use of motorised boats to remove waste accumulated at the barriers. Recyclable materials would be recovered for reuse, while the remaining waste would be sent to DNCC's landfill.

Since installation, the system has shown no signs of leakage. Waste is efficiently collected at the centre of the U-shaped barriers, allowing cleaner water to flow through the canals. Encouraged by the results, the team views this as a scalable and effective model. 

However, they stress that long-term success hinges on sustained public awareness—which is why a strong awareness campaign has been launched alongside the clean-up efforts.

Samiul Islam, Deputy Director of Operations at RedOrange, reflected that the most valuable outcome wasn't just the physical model—it was the human one. The project began with ideas, trial and error, and learning through failure.

"We trained some waste collectors. They now separate plastic waste and sell it at a better price. We connected them with recyclers too, and they're now spreading these skills within their own communities," said Samiul.

Notably, this initiative is part of a wider regional effort — the Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia (PLEASE) project, implemented by the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) and supported by United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the World Bank Group. Its goal extends beyond cleaning visible pollution: it aims to build a circular economy around plastic waste.

"The idea is to reduce plastic flow into South Asia's rivers and seas, not just through collection, but by creating a complete value chain — from collection to segregation, sorting, and recycling," explained Obidul Islam, Project Manager at UNOPS.

In Bangladesh, the PLEASE project concluded its first phase with the innovation grantees on 15 June, including RedOrange among several other recipients. The project also awarded grants to four other organisations — Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) at the University of Chittagong, Arannayk Foundation, BRAC, and Bangladesh Petrochemical Company Limited (BPCL) — to foster local solutions to plastic pollution. 

While RedOrange transformed Dhaka's Kallyanpur Canal with floating barriers and inclusive waste worker engagement, IMS-CU empowered coastal communities through marine waste recovery, youth education, and biodegradable product training.

In the Sundarbans, Arannayk Foundation pioneered digital tracking and market-based plastic waste solutions, protecting ecosystems and boosting local livelihoods. BRAC led women-driven recycling initiatives in Cox's Bazar, turning municipal waste into economic opportunities, and BPCL built a scalable, tech-enabled circular economy model by formalising over 1,000 informal workers and establishing high-capacity recycling hubs.