Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam on Sunday said the government is working to bring the waste generated in the city as well as rural areas under proper management.

Work is underway to bring the waste under proper management as waste is a challenge for all countries, he said at a meeting on 'Solid Waste Management Information Sharing' organized at Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) in the capital.

The amount of waste generated in the country has multiplied in the past as the purchase capacity of people increased, he said.

Also read:Bangladesh, India share best practices in waste management

Tajul Islam said that a lot of garbage, medical waste, is generated in the village now which contains many harmful substances harmful to human health.

In this regard, he said, “We are also working following the formula that the developed world is generating electricity through incineration by collecting waste.”

In the meantime, with the approval of the Prime Minister, arrangements have been made to start power generation from waste in Two City Corporation of Dhaka, Gazipur, Chattogram and Narayanganj City Corporation, he added.

The minister also said all city corporations and districts, upazilas and municipalities will also get electricity generated from waste in phases.

He urged everyone to refrain from dumping garbage in rivers, canals, lakes and other water bodies.

He further said about three thousand tonnes of garbage is being generated daily in Dhaka North and South City Corporation, two thousand five hundred tonnes in Chattogram, two thousand tonnes in Gazipur and a lot of waste is being generated in Narayanganj.

Also read: Italy to invest in waste management in Bangladesh: Ambassador Enrico

There is a lot of stench in the secondary transfer station-STS causing a lot of problems for pedestrians and people living in the area. He directed the authorities concerned to review the technical alternatives so that the stench does not spread.

LGRD Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed, Japanese Ambassador to Dhaka Naoki, Country Representatives from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and senior officials were present at the meeting.