Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said the establishment of incinerator plant has opened new horizons in CCC's waste management.
He was speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of JICA-funded and CCC initiative incinerator plant at Anandabazar TG on Tuesday morning.
He said incinerator plants have been set up with emphasis on disposal of infectious medical waste. It can destroy 5 tons of medical waste daily. It is an eco-friendly sophisticated system. There is no need for new research in this type of waste management. Modern waste management can be developed only by following the developed cities. He called upon the government and private medical and diagnostic centers to dispose of their medical waste in autoslave machines and dispose of it in bioseptical bags.
CCC CEO Mohammad Shahidul Alam presided and Chief Engineer Rafiqul Islam Manik conducted over the function. Among the special guests were Ambassador of Japan Ito Naoki, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Local Government Dr. Maloy Chowdhury, Joint Secretary Sabur Hossain, JICA Chief Representative Haiya Kawa Yoho, Panel Mayor Md. Gias Uddin, Afroza Kalam, Md. Ismail, Md. Elias, Secretary Khaled Mahmood, Private Secretary to the Mayor Muhammad Abul Hashem and others were present. CCC mayor said the way masks and gloves are being spread everywhere in Corona at this time has created a risk of the virus spreading rapidly.
The environment and biodiversity are under threat as some of the industrial waste is dumped and dumped in rivers and seas through drains. He called upon the public to be aware of medical waste as well as industrial waste and electronics waste and called upon the city's service providers to look into the issue of such waste disposal system and its harmful aspects.
He said the plant would burn medical waste in an environmentally friendly manner. This will prevent environmental pollution and reduce the spread of infectious diseases due to the collected medical waste. In order to bring in the waste management of the city, the CCC approved Medical Waste Collection ‘Chattogram Service Department' has been given the responsibility to collect, transport and purify the information of medical waste management.
CCC mayor said the CCC would use the plant to dispose of medical waste in Chittagong by charging waste treatment. The plant has been set up at a cost of Tk 3 crore from JICA and Tk 66 lakh from CCC.
He said Japan is a development partner of Bangladesh. If their cooperation continues, they will soon be able to reach Qatar, a developed country. The mayor is hopeful that JICA will continue its ongoing development work with the CCC.
Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki said Chattogram is a city surrounded by natural beauty. The history and tradition of this city is very ancient. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken many plans for the development of this city. If these plans are implemented, Chattogram will be the economic hub of South Asia.
He said Japan's relations with Bangladesh, the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, visited Japan for the first time and established good relations with Japan. This relationship has continued to this day. Japan has provided a lot of assistance for the development of Chattogram and that assistance will be continued in the future. He highlighted the importance of JICA in installing incinerators and said that the plant would make a significant contribution to the discipline of waste management in the city. If the plan adopted by Hon'ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to transform Bangladesh into a developed country by 'Vision 2041' is implemented, Bangladesh will soon emerge as a developed country in the world.
Dr. Maloy Chowdhury, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, said that the CCC has set up the first incinerator plant in the country for the treatment of medical waste in the city, which is a commendable effort on the part of the Ministry of Local Government. He expressed hope that Chattogram would be developed as an eco-friendly city in future.
JICA Chief Representative Haiya Kawa Yoho said the incinerator plant set up for JICA Medical Waste Management will purify waste through smokeless reactors in an environmentally friendly manner. This waste will be purified at high temperatures. The JICA expert team will work to operate the plant and the CCC will be trained and trained.
CCC CEO said that setting up these incinerator plants like the cities of the developed world, CCC added a new dimension to the city to build an eco-friendly city.
