Waste burning is quietly exacerbating Dhaka’s already dire air quality

If you check the headlines every morning, you probably already know that our beloved 'Jadur Shohor' Dhaka consistently ranks among the most polluted cities in the world as smoke and dust fill the air, making it hard to breathe.

Thinking of enjoying a peaceful evening walk? Unfortunately, the thick, suffocating air won't let you. 

While traffic and unregulated construction are major culprits, waste burning has quietly become another serious contributor to this crisis.

Upward swirl, downward air quality

Walk a few minutes through some less crowded roads, and you will see a swirl of smoke coming off a pile of burning garbage, filling the sky with black and grey fumes, and passersby trying to cover their noses with their hands.

Polyethylene, fallen leaves, and paper are primarily burnt in these piles, emitting a lot of pollutants that are harmful to humans, animals, and the overall environment.

This contributes to the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Dhaka city often crossing hazardous levels, with readings soaring above 250 in winter months, as measured by the Swiss organisation IQAir.

While there are many instances of the city corporation cleaners setting ablaze the pile of garbage dumped on the roadside, homeless people and footpath sellers are also seen gathering a pile of trash and setting fire.

"In the winter, these people set fire to get some warmth, while others do it to get rid of the trash," said Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, professor at the Department of Environmental Science, Stamford University Bangladesh.

Professor Kamruzzaman has career-long research experience and expertise in air pollution in Dhaka city, and is the founder and director of the Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS).

"Some people see it as a measure of waste management, not knowing it worsens the situation — and this has become a common practice in Dhaka," he added.

Furthermore, smoke is almost always seen rising from the waste dumping sites of the two city corporations, located at Aminbazar and Matuail for the North and the South, respectively. 

The smoke emitted from these sites contains not only harmful toxins but also a foul odour, causing a feeling of disgust — something you would undoubtedly notice if you have ever travelled along the Dhaka-Aricha highway. It makes you want to stop breathing for a while until the vehicle crosses that particular area.

The health hazard

The impact of air pollution, especially from waste burning, is severe. "Burning plastic waste releases harmful chemicals like dioxins and furans, known to cause cancer and neurological disorders," said Professor Kamruzzaman.

According to him, toxic air is linked to rising cases of asthma, strokes, and chronic lung conditions.

He mentioned that the concentration of PM2.5 in Dhaka is shockingly higher than the global safety limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

PM2.5, or fine particulate matter, is a type of air pollutant that consists of particles that are 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter. These fine particles, small enough to bypass most masks, penetrate deep into the lungs, causing severe respiratory problems.

According to a Bloomberg report from 2021, the landfill at Matuail emits four tonnes of methane every hour from burning waste. 

"Methane escalates climate change, forming the ground-level ozone, and can lead to cardiovascular diseases, and headaches," the professor noted.

"There is no alternative to breathing, hence, everyone has to inhale the polluted air, and everyone is at risk of diseases linked to air pollution," said the professor, mentioning that the elderly and children are the most vulnerable to polluted air.

The researcher warns that inhaling these toxins can lead to heart disease, respiratory infections, and even long-term lung damage in children.

A recent World Bank report revealed that toxic air causes the premature deaths of 80,000 people in Bangladesh annually. And according to CAPS, if air pollution can be prevented, 102,456 deaths can be avoided each year in Bangladesh.

Professor Kamruzzaman accused the authorities of failure to address the root causes of pollution.

A failing waste management system

The city generates approximately 5,500 tonnes of waste daily. Although the majority of this waste is collected, a substantial amount still ends up being dumped on roadsides.

According to Md Abu Taher, a waste management officer at Dhaka South City Corporation , an average of approximately 2,200 tonnes of waste is generated daily in the area.

Although he claimed that Dhaka South cleaners collect all the garbage within its area, many instances of setting fires are seen on a regular basis.

"These are just random incidents, and it is not something prominent," claimed Taher.

Professor Kamruzzaman told TBS that he has listed multiple instances where waste is burnt on a regular basis.

He alleged the city corporation authority's lack of effort to stop waste burning. "It is their duty to collect all the trash and manage it accordingly."

Another Dhaka South official told TBS that the patrol police must monitor if anyone is burning waste or setting fire.

"Suppose, there is a specific time when the cleaners go to collect the trash from the roadsides, but if someone sets fire before their arrival, we cannot do much about that," he said.

"Very often, you see the tokais [scrap collectors] or the homeless people setting fire, and the police usually do not take any action against them," he added, "And sometimes, it is simply not possible to track down the person responsible for setting a fire."

There were some waste-to-energy plant projects proposed to produce fuel from the landfills in collaboration with Japan — but there has been very little progress, according to Dhaka South officials.

A decline in city corporation workforce

Regardless of whether these burning incidents are a regular pattern, or random, Taher acknowledged that the city corporation lacks enough cleaning workers. He particularly cited that the new rule set in 2021 by the previous mayor, now fugitive, Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh has caused a problem.

"The previous rule was that the cleaning workers could pass their employment to one of their family members once they crossed the age of 59. This kept the number of workers stable," he said.

"But Taposh put a halt to this rule, and the workers could no longer pass on their job to their family members, and no new workers were hired. This has essentially created a vacuum."

Taher mentioned that dozens of workers are reaching the age of 59 each month, with many of the existing employees switching to other roles, such as office assistants or peons, within the city corporation.

"There were 5,365 cleaners before the rule went into effect. The number is now 4,360 — a thousand workers are simply no longer a part of our workforce," he said.

Additionally, the inclusion of five new zones on top of the existing five has effectively nearly doubled the total area under the city corporation. Now the same number of workers have to cover double the area.

Both the population and total consumption in Dhaka have risen significantly over the past few years. Since waste generation is closely linked to economic growth, the amount of waste produced in Dhaka has also increased substantially.

But the efforts from the city corporations have seen a proportionately less increment.

Non-existent long-term solution

Wearing masks outdoors is only a temporary and a less effective solution. The Dhaka South officials could not pose a proper plan to address the issue, although one official proposed removing the footpath-dwellers from the streets, as they are the ones who allegedly burn the waste.

But there needs to be a proper plan for the rehabilitation of the footpath-dwellers, and that involves the government's action.

Public awareness can play a crucial role in addressing the issue; however, the efforts of the city corporation have not adequately prioritised or addressed this aspect to the necessary extent.

Professor Kamruzzaman emphasised an improved waste collection system. "Open burning should be strictly prohibited for the sake of the citizens' wellbeing. The government needs to invest in better disposal methods, such as modern or controlled landfill sites. Stronger policies must be implemented to regulate construction dust and vehicle emissions," he concluded.