How dangers intensify due to garbage burning in Dhaka

Visiting Aminbazar, the outskirt of Dhaka early morning on 6 April, it was found that fire was burning at least 20 different spots of a landfill managed by Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC). The smoke was rising into the sky.

This has become a daily picture. An Ansar member, responsible for security at the Aminbazar landfill, speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity said, “Those responsible for waste management are the ones who set the fires. Each day, they set fire in a different area.”

A similar scene was observed at the Matuail landfill on the same day. Apart from these two major sites, waste was seen being burned in several locations across Dhaka and along different points of the Dhaka-Aricha highway over the past two days.

People involved in and working at the landfills said that waste is burned to reduce its volume. Plastic waste, when burned, turns to ash, thereby reducing the size of the pile. Furthermore, in an effort to avoid the hassle of transporting waste from within the city to distant locations, it is alleged that cleaners often opt to burn it on-site. However, the city corporations deny such allegations, asserting instead that fires result in from methane gas emissions at the landfills.

The burning of waste exacerbates Dhaka’s already poor air quality. According to Swiss-based IQAir’s Global Air Quality Report 2024, Bangladesh ranked second in the world for worst air pollution in 2024, while Dhaka ranked third among the most polluted cities globally. The World Bank’s ‘Clearing the Air: Addressing Bangladesh’s Air Pollution Crisis’ published in November 2024 states that 11 per cent of Dhaka’s air pollution can be attributed to the open burning of waste.

Despite years of unchecked waste burning, neither of Dhaka’s two city corporations nor the department of environment has taken substantial measures to address the issue.

During a recent visit to the Matuail sanitary landfill on Saturday, environment adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan instructed that no waste should be burned at any site. Speaking to the media, she emphasised that burning waste at Matuail or any other location is strictly prohibited.

Nonetheless, the situation remains unchanged. When contacted on Monday, the adviser told Prothom Alo, “Unless waste management is handled effectively, it will be extremely difficult to protect Dhaka residents from the harmful effects of air pollution. Government agencies must assume greater responsibility. We intend to initiate a campaign against waste burning in the very near future.”

At approximately 7:00am on Sunday and 6:30am on Monday, fires were visibly burning at various points within the Aminbazar landfill. When journalists attempted to enter the premises on Sunday, they were stopped by Ansar members, who claimed that entry was not allowed without prior permission from the DNCC.

However, the smoke plumes were clearly visible from outside, with some flames detectable from a distance. Observers also noted individuals deliberately adding plastic materials to the fire to ensure complete combustion.

A man named Masud Sheikh, responsible for logging truck entries, refused to answer questions regarding the number of trucks entering daily or the reason behind the fires, citing lack of authorisation to speak.

According to DNCC sources, the Aminbazar landfill covers approximately 52 acres, with the accumulated waste forming piles up to 90 feet high.
A project to generate electricity from the Aminbazar landfill waste has been under discussion for years. It was finally approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in October 2023, with a proposed budget of Tk 12.72 billion. In November 2023, then mayor Atiqul Islam announced that power generation would commence by 2026.

However, investigations reveal that the project remains in its preliminary stage. Project director and DNCC superintending engineer SM Shafiqur Rahman informed Prothom Alo on Monday that the contracted Chinese firm is currently working on the piling for the project’s main building and road construction is expected to begin soon. The project completion date is set for July 2027.

While travelling from Savar to Aminbazar along the Dhaka-Aricha highway, fires were observed at several roadside garbage dumps. For instance, near the Salehpur Bridge and the Baliarpur Bridge, waste piles were burning.
At the Balliapur bus stand, an electric rickshaw driver named Nannu Mia told Prothom Alo, “All day long, they bring waste from the nearby areas and dump it by the road. Then, they set fire to it themselves.”

On Sunday afternoon in Matuail’s Demra area, thick smoke from burning waste was spreading throughout the surrounding neighbourhoods, causing difficulty to residents in breathing.

The landfill is adjacent to the Mridha Bari residential area, whose residents staged protests and road blockades prior to Eid-ul-Fitr, demanding an end to the suffocating smoke.

Ali, 60, a participant in the protests, told Prothom Alo, “It’s impossible to breathe because of the toxic smoke. The moment we open our windows, the smoke enters. We have to keep our doors and windows shut all day. Despite our protests, the waste burning continues.”

Both Dhaka South City Corporation's Chief Waste Management Officer, Air Commodore Md Mahbubur Rahman Talukdar and DNCC’s Chief Waste Management Officer, Commodore A BM Shamsul Alam, denied allegations of intentional waste burning.

Mahbubur Rahman Talukdar told Prothom Alo, “We do not set these fires. Due to the sun’s heat, methane gas within the landfill ignites naturally and spreads.”

He added that soil will be layered over the waste piles and that arrangements are being made to source soil through canal dredging. Additionally, water is being sprayed and he hopes the fire will be brought under control within the next seven to eight days.

ABM Samsul Alam of DNCC asserted that they are taking measures to ensure that no one deliberately ignites fires to burn waste.

Nevertheless, residents living near the landfills remain unconvinced that methane gas is the sole cause. Md Ali of Matuail’s Mridha Bari pointed out that accidental fires should only occur sporadically or over a few days, not daily and across nearly the entire landfill.

Several locals allege that fires are often set at night so that people do not notice.

Reports suggest that in many areas of Dhaka, after street sweeping in the mornings, garbage piles are formed and then set alight. Such acts are allegedly committed by city corporation cleaners. In addition, local shopkeepers, market staff, small traders and employees of various establishments are known to burn waste.

On Tuesday morning, burning waste was observed in several open spaces beside roads in areas such as East Tejturi Bazar in Farmgate, Karwan Bazaar, the FDC intersection, Moghbazar, Holy Cross College, St John Vianney Hospital and Indira Road. At the FDC intersection, a rickshaw puller named Majnu Mia waiting for passengers said, “City Corporation staff bring waste and then set it on fire. When I leave in the morning, I see waste burning everywhere.”

In March 2021, Stamford University’s Department of Environmental Science, under its Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS), conducted a study on open waste burning in Dhaka, identifying 23 hotspots.

CAPS Chairman Professor Dr. Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder told Prothom Alo that such burning continues in Dhaka’s urban areas. Even during the holy month of Ramadan, he observed waste is being burned near Hatirjheel, Dhanmondi Lake, Dhaka University and the High Court area. Regarding the landfills, he stated that both have long exceeded their waste holding capacities, which is why the practice of burning waste began.
What happens when waste is burned

According to Article 12 of the Air Pollution Control Rules, 2022, it is prohibited to store or burn waste in the open. The rules specify that no waste can be burned on roads or highways. Violation of this regulation is punishable by up to two years imprisonment or a fine of Tk 200,000.
Air quality researchers explain that roadside waste consists mostly of plastic. When burned, it releases toxic substances such as dioxins, furans, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls into the air. Additionally, gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide are produced during combustion.

These toxic emissions contribute significantly to respiratory illnesses, according to Kazi Saifuddin Bennoor, Pulmonologist and Joint Secretary of the Bangladesh Lung Foundation.

He told Prothom Alo, “These gases severely impact the respiratory system. They hinder oxygen intake. Carbon monoxide enters the bloodstream and interferes with hemoglobin’s oxygen-carrying ability, damaging the kidneys, liver and brain.” He added that fine particulate matter accumulates in the lungs, causing a disease called pneumoconiosis, which eventually hardens the lungs and leads to ILD (Interstitial Lung Disease).

The World Bank’s 2022 report 'Breathing Heavy: New Evidence on Air Pollution and Health in Bangladesh' states that between 78,145 and 88,229 deaths in Bangladesh in 2019 were attributable to air pollution.
Money is being spent, no decline in pollution

According to the department of environment, the government spent at least USD 65 million between 2000 and 2019 on two air pollution control projects, equivalent to roughly Tk 7.20 billion. Additionally, several smaller initiatives have been implemented and another ongoing project has a budget of Tk 27 billion.

Despite these significant expenditures, Dhaka remains among the world’s most polluted cities and its residents continue to suffer the consequences of air pollution.

Armanul Haque, a student of International Relations at the University of Dhaka, told Prothom Alo, “We often hear that polluted air comes into Bangladesh from other countries. But the real question is, what steps have the government taken to address our own domestic sources of air pollution, such as old vehicles, brick kilns, construction work and coal-fired power plants?”