DSCC: Initiative Taken to Buy Modern Equipment Worth Tk 400 Crore

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) added 57 wards in 2018 and added 18 new wards. As a result, daily waste disposal has become a challenge for the DSCC's waste management department. To address this problem, a plan has been taken to purchase modern vehicles and equipment worth Tk 400 crore. Concerned parties say that if the plan is passed, the ongoing crisis of waste management will be resolved, reports media.

DSCC sources said a preliminary plan has been drawn up to procure the vehicles. However, it has not yet been submitted to the higher authorities. The proposal will be submitted within this month. If the proposal is passed, the waste management crisis will be resolved and it will be possible to remove 100% of the waste.

It is learned that the waste management department of DSCC has prepared a draft plan to purchase 255 modern vehicles and equipment of 16 types to overcome the crisis of waste management. The estimated purchase price has been set at Tk 400 crore. The procurement plan includes 20 with 3-ton capacity, 50 with 5-ton capacity and 70 compactors with 7-ton capacity, 21 container carriers with 3-ton capacity, 8 dump trucks with 8-ton capacity, 10 road sweepers, 4 jet and safar 4, 5 backhoe loaders, 2 short boom excavators, 2 long boom excavators, 2 small excavators, 2 floating excavators, 3 bulldozers, 4 pay loaders, 2 tire diesel and 30 skid steer loaders, etc. 

According to the DSCC's waste management sources, currently 65 wards of the DSCC generate 3,200 to 3,500 tonnes of waste. The DSCC's waste management department is removing 2,400 to 2,600 tonnes of waste at the Matuil landfill in 700 trips daily through three wheel dozers, five excavators and five bulldozers. However, due to the crisis of transportation, it is not possible to remove the waste in all areas of DSCC. As a result, piles of waste are accumulating in front of DSCC roads and houses. In this situation, the initiative has been taken to buy vehicles and equipment in the waste system.

DSCC Chief Waste Management Officer Air Commodore said. Badrul Amin told media that in the crisis of machinery and manpower, we are also responsible for the waste of 18 newly added wards. As a result, the crisis has naturally become apparent. Many of our councilors do not yet understand the location of STS (Secondary Transfer Station). As a result, visible waste is increasing in the yard of the house.  

"With the current manpower and vehicles, we are able to remove a maximum of 80 per cent waste," he added. If 20 per cent waste is accumulated in roads and alleys every day, then one has to be sure even if one imagines how horrible it can be in the statistics of months and years. Hopefully, plans have been made to buy vehicles and equipment to deal with the ongoing crisis.

However, there is a manpower crisis in the waste management of DSCC along with transport equipment. When asked whether these equipments will remain lazy due to the lack of manpower when buying vehicles and equipment, the senior officer of the waste management department of the company, Md. Shafiullah Siddique Bhuiyan told media that this is an important issue. We have not only vehicles but also manpower crisis. Happily, the mayor himself is very aware of this. He has already started work on hiring light and heavy vehicles and other manpower so that the work does not stop due to lack of manpower after purchasing the equipment.