No Waste Burning Allowed at Landfills, Warns Rizwana

To curb environmental pollution, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, has declared that waste burning is strictly prohibited at the Matuail Sanitary Landfill and all other locations. She also warned that air pollution in Dhaka has reached levels posing significant health risks.

 

Speaking to journalists during a visit to the Matuail Sanitary Landfill on Saturday, Rizwana emphasized, “Burning waste at Matuail or anywhere else is strrictly forbidden. We will take various measures to protect the environment and the health and livelihoods of people living near landfills.”

 

Responding to a journalist’s question, Rizwana noted that completely removing the waste from Matuail in the near term is “not feasible.” She added, “We are taking steps to ensure the environment here is preserved. Instructions will be issued to shut down two nearby steel mills, and battery burning or lead extraction from batteries will not be permitted. The Department of Environment has already taken action against battery factories, and further measures will follow if complaints are received.”

 

Highlighting the severity of Dhaka’s air pollution, which she described as a “health risk,” Rizwana instructed the City Corporations, the Department of Environment, and other relevant agencies to adopt coordinated initiatives to reduce pollution. She also stressed the importance of raising public awareness alongside government efforts to combat pollution, adding, “Strict fines will be enforced for violations.”

 

Later, Rizwana inspected several pollution-prone areas under Dhaka North and South City Corporations, including Samadnagar, Narsingdi Road, Chittagong Road, Kanchpur, Jatrabari, and Sharifpara. She reviewed ongoing efforts to control air pollution and engaged with local residents.

 

Accompanying her were Mohammad Ejaz, Administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation; Md. Shahjahan Miah, Administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation; Rubina Ferdousi, Deputy Secretary (Environment) of the Ministry of Environment; RSM Munirul Islam, Conservator of Forests; and several other officials.