Waste piles up across Khulna city

Heaps of waste are piling up in various corners of Khulna city as the city corporation’s conservation workers have stopped working following the power vacuum after Sheikh Hasina’s fall.
Authorities said KCC trucks and vans have ceased operations due to vehicles being vandalised by agitators. Several vehicles have already been damaged while collecting garbage.
Meanwhile, a massive pile of garbage has made the KDA Avenue, stretching from Shibbari intersection to MM City College Junction, unbearable. At least four garbage spots were noted along the two-kilometer stretch. It is one of the busiest roads in Khulna and hosts over a dozen bank branches, commercial establishments, and Rasheda Memorial Hospital.
Locals and business owners, including Akbar Hossain, a mobile shop salesman, and Abul Fazal, a resident of ward-6, said they are suffering due to the stench.
Fazal said people are using alternative routes and  keeping their windows closed due to the nuisance created from unattended wastes.
Rafiqul Islam, a KCC worker, said garbage from wards 19 and 20 is typically dumped at a designated point on KDA Avenue. However, due to political unrest, they have been unable to clear the waste.
Sheikh Shafiq Ahmed, a garbage van driver, said agitators have attacked and thrown bricks at garbage collectors, preventing them from performing their duties.
The situation is similar at 26 Secondary Transfer Station (STS) plants.
Local households are also dumping waste in various KCC areas, which remain uncollected for days.
KCC reports that approximately 1,200 tonnes of waste are produced daily across 31 wards, with only 800 to 850 tonnes collected. The remaining waste stays on the streets.
Visits to spots including PTI mor, Nirala mor, Notun Bazar, and Boyra mor, this correspondent saw half of the main roads are piled with garbage.
Professor Anwarul Kadir, an educationist and civic leader, emphasised the necessity of consistent waste management services, regardless of political unrest, to prevent increasing suffering.
Md Anisur Rahman, Chief Conservancy Officer of KCC, said they are ready to resume work. “We are being attacked, but if given a chance, we will clear the waste immediately,” he said.