Amdadul Haque
Mokles Mia (50), a garbage picker who processes waste at a depot in the capital’s Karwan Bazar area under Dhaka North City Corporation, has been in this profession for more than 5 years, but is still to get recognition as a city corporation garbage worker. While talking to Bangladesh Post, he said, "We collect dirt from households as City Corporation garbage pickers, but city corporations do not pay us. Rather, we get money from the house owners, which is a very low amount. Running the family with such a meagre amount is very difficult.”
"We have no health or social security," he added, “We get sick working in the dirt yard. This is a very tiring job. Sometimes, we cut our hands while sifting through the trash.” Those related with waste collection and processing do not use primary safety equipment. Experts think that there may be various diseases, including infections from garbage.
According to sources, like Mokles Mia there are more than four thousand 'waste workers' in different places of Dhaka City. They collect waste from different houses of the metropolis and bring it to the nearest center. After that, city corporation waste carrying transports dump the waste at the designated waste depot.
But the Chief Waste Management Officer of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) M Monjur Hussen said, “these workers are not ours who collect garbage from the households, and we have no data about such workers. They may be controlled by different private communities or sectors.”
President of Jatrabari Waste Collection Labour Union, Rina Begum told Bangladesh Post, waste workers collect garbage from residences in different areas of the capital from morning to evening, enduring fatigue. But these workers do not have any institutional recognition. Moreover, waste collectors are not provided with necessary safety equipment to safeguard their health while collecting waste.
She demands recognition of the job in the Waste Management Division of the city corporations, ensuring safety equipment and training, providing gloves, boots and special spectacles, introduction of social safety programme and allocation of special budget for the waste pickers especially for the welfare of their children.
Nazrul Islam, ex director of Directorate General of Health Services told Bangladesh Post that the situation of waste management of the country is very bad. We usually throw dirt in the open. From there, waste collectors collect it and waste is also collected from a very dirty and unhealthy environment.
He said, “During the collection and processing of waste, waste collectors get infected with various respiratory diseases. City corporations should take this issue into consideration and incorporate necessary measures to safeguard the health of those who safeguard our environment.”
