Challenge for a clean city (Dhaka)

1. Challenge for a clean city (Dhaka) LAC Project, IIIEE Department, Lund University Prepared and presented by – TANZINA AZAD

2. Project Background • The population of Dhaka city stands at approximately 6.7 million. Dhaka is among the 6 cities of South Asia which by 2010 will be included as 20 mega cities of the world. Most harming thing is Dhaka things are moving in an unplanned way in terms of its energy consumption, urban mobility, waste management. • The main problem in Dhaka City (capital city of Bangladesh) is its alarming population, which lead to many different kind of problems. The focus of this LAC Project was to identify the main environmental issues in the city, create awareness among the local community and work on achieving a clean and green city.

3. Project Objective • The aim of this project was to create local awareness among households, industry owners, students and other respectable citizens who will understand the depth of the present situation. • Establishing community among the households. A group of people acting as a team can take steps forward environmental challenges, in a better way than individual acting by their own. • Establishing community among the industry and mill owners, in order to face environmental pollution matters, such as air and water contamination and waste generation and reduction. • Establishing community among the authority involved in transportation and traffic in the city. • Establishing community among the media, in order to create awareness. • Creating environmental awareness among teachers in different educational levels

4. Activity done • Conducted a survey on household waste management survey on their behavior towards waste sorting, dumping and recycling. • Conducted a seminar with 80 students of ‘Stamford University’, Dhaka. Created environmental awareness through an one hour presentation and gathered feedback from the students. • Conducted a little briefing with the poor students of ‘Jago Foundation’ and listened to their problem about environment and provided them the guideline to use the resources efficiently. • Interviewed two person one of them is an industrialist-Mr. AbulKalam Azad, chairman of Printing and Packeging Association of Bangladesh. Another person is a government employee -Md. KhorshedAlam, member National Board of Revenue (NBR). I asked them different questions and analyzed their thinking towards environmental concern about Dhaka city. I also suggested them with few ideas which can be imposed to have an pollution free and clean environment.

5. Survey Conducted on Households attitude and behavior towards Waste Mohakhali Dhanmondi 10 households from three buildings 10 households from four buildings New Eskaton Paribagh 10 households from one building 10 households from one building 10 households from two buildings Purana Paltan

6. Cont… • 70% households said they buy their daily commodities from local shop and 25% of them buy from large supermarkets and rest of 5% from other sources. It is found that none of them grow their commodities in home. • The average weekly discarded garbage by households is around seven kg. Among them 78% of the garbage are decomposable wastes, 10% plastic waste, 5% cartoon empty boxes, 3% glasses, 3% empty tins, rest 1% is other wastes. • In terms of collection of waste 50% said they have a common waste/garbage dustbin in your household community/in a building when all household of a building dispose their waste, 40% said municipal community has a waste collection team, they collect it from door to door, rest 10% said they ask their made to dump the waste to the dustbin nearby. I have found no one who drives to dump their waste. Most of the households expressed that it is a very unimportant thing, and waste of time to dump the waste by them.

7. Cont… • 30% of the households said they pay for the disposal to them municipal authority which is around 100 taka par month (USD $1.4). 50% said they pay to the household community around 150 taka (USD 2.14) per month. Rest 20% said they do not pay for their disposal. • 70% of the households said they do not sort their garbage, 30% said they sort their garbage. Among them who sort, the reason behind that – 50% said I see other doing it, 30% said they are aware by media, 10% said it will reduce the environmental problem, rest 10% said it is important for the society as well as for them. Most of them said they sort their garbage by their maid. The people who do not have maid they sort when they get time. Most of them sort the glass material selling it to the glass buyer hauqer but they do not sort tin materials properly.

8. Cont… • Who do not sort- 60% said there is no garbage container nearby, 20% said they don’t have time to sort, 16% said they don’t think it makes any difference rest 8% even don’t know about what is sorting and how to sort garbage. • They will start sorting and recycling – 70% said if they find the garbage container nearby, 20% said they will start doing it if other will do, 10% said if the environmental benefit is described to them. • Most of the households are not aware by the current situation of waste in our city. They wanted to know more about the situations. They also complained about the City Corporation and municipality. They think municipality has vital role to sort this kind of problems, rather than households. All of the households are willing to help the municipality if they find them to take initiatives.

9. Conducted a seminar with Stamford University, Dhaka • I conducted one hour seminar with the students of ‘Stamford University’ where I suggested the students to change their behavior towards using the economical and natural resource efficiently. • Students also gave their feedback and comments on the website www.challangeforacleangreencitydhaka.blogspot.com • They also submitted one page writing about what they have learned from the seminar • Most of them commented that they have learned effective things, and they will change their behaviour, share the information wit their parents, relatives and peers.

10. The Deliverables to the Students • Students must change their behavior in this way – • Do not use too much electricity in day time, do not turn on lights unnecessary, turn off your lights when you will go outside your room • Try to do gardening in your home, plant trees. • Manage your household solid waste, try to recycle your waste, avoid using polythins and plastics. Dump your waste in proper places. • Turn of you stoves when you have done your cooking. • Do not use vehicle un-necessarily where there is a walking distance • Try to use cycles, bus as vehicle to reduce emissions. • Know the causes and remedies of environmental pollution. Let other people know about your environmental concern through sharing information with family and peers.

11. Discussion with ‘Jago Foundation’ • The foundation consists of 87 members in their team. The main focus of the foundation is to give charitable education (English medium version) to the poor students whom are unable to bear their study cost. • most of the poor households works as maid servant in household, in readymade garments, as rikshaw puller, as street hauquer, or labor in industries. Most of the parents of these households want their children to work from the childhood instead of going to school for study. • To encourage these kinds of parents, our foundation provide (English medium) educational knowledge to their children and provide them food (Rice, wheat, vegetables, meat etc) while they go home after studying. In that case their parents get the willingness to send their children to earn knowledge.

12. Cont…. • The sources of fund mainly come from different wealthy households, who take responsibilities of one poor student (atleast) and observe his performance. Report card of the students also sent to the donor to track the performance of the student. Some of the families take responsibility of more than one student. • Governmental and non-governmental institution fund them. For example: ‘Emirates Airline’ group in Bangladesh provided them 11 computers to give computer knowledge to the students.

13. Students Problem: ‘Jago Foundation’ • Poor drainage system in Dhaka city that are wasting water. • During flood and over rainfall most of the roads are covered by water and drain water and lake/river water get mixed in many places. That causes diarihoea, and other stomach diseases. • Extracting water from the ground level causing arsenic diseases, the main sufferer are the poor people. • Over vehicle increase the CO2 emission, affecting the poor slam people living in the road side. • Sometimes they are forced to be beggar, as if they do not find any work. • Having roadside cheap food causing health problem. • Water can’t be stored properly, and misuse of water.

14. Outcome from the discussion • The active member and me suggested them with many sollution of their problems, mainly with the water. • Moreover they are financially concern rather than socioeconomically value. • They have learned so far the importance of environmental resources • They have been guided not to dump waste in any place except dustbin. • They got the idea to save water, store water in a clean and hygienic place.

15. Interview session • Interviewee 1: • Name: Abul Kalam Azad • Occupation: Industrialist • Company Name: Azad Products Pvt Ltd. • Industry: Printing and Packeiging • Position hold: Managing Director of the company and Chairman of Printing and Packaging Association in Bangladesh.

16. Outcome of the Question/Answer session with interviewee 1 • According to his answers to my questions - • Their main waste in the industry contains 60% from tin (basically container, plate, chemical containers etc). 25% waste is from waste chemical, 10% waste is used (cartons, boxes), and rest 5% is from other waste (cloth material). • They said they sell the tin material to a particular person and other materials collected by the municipality. They give payment 1000 taka (USD $14.285) monthly for that service. • He said as a chairman of the community he will make awareness among all of the company’s authority to sort and recycle the waste properly. • He also includes that government can take initiative towards it for other industries also.

17. Cont… • Interviewee 2: • Name: Md. Khorshed Alam • Occupation: Government Employee • Company Name: National Bureau of Revenue • Position hold: Member of NBR

18. Outcome of the Question/Answer session with interviewee 2 • According to his answers to my questions – • He thinks that the present environmental condition in Dhaka city is in alarming condition. He thinks municipally and the city corporation has a lot to do. • He says that Bangladesh government impose high tax on those raw materials, which product is causing environmental pollution. • He also includes government thinking to impose high tax on recondition and brand new cars, as the traffic condition is getting bad day by day. • He said, government is investigating the industries and mills whom are causing pollution in high level and a big amount of compensation will be discarded from them. Already they have charged many industries. They have initiated mobile court whom are going different companies and identifying their pollution level. • According to his frequent change of government causing the whole activity bit lagging behind. With due to government, local people and industrialist support they can improve the condition of the city and make the city clean and green

19. My inability while conducting the project activity • Though I have conducted most of the studies to make awareness, I couldn’t came across with the two process creating awareness through media and discussion with the city transportation problem due to lack of time. • Most of the people gave biased answer which affected my whole result of the survey. It would be perfect if I could get the true answers of the survey questions • Peoples unwillingness towards awareness, they think it is a waste of time, it was difficult to made them understand the importance of the survey.

20. Conclusion • I would like to say in my concluding section. It was a nice journey to do the project. I have learned many thing in many courses while doing my study on EMP and I shared most of my knowledge with the people I interacted with while doing my project. • I got very good responses from the students and teachers and they gave me good feedback. They also appreciated it. On the other hand interviewing with two personnel gave me the opportunity to know about their activity. I have been succeed in communication and getting feedback from all of the people I have interacted.