CHALLENGE FOR A CLEAN CITY
(DHAKA)
LAC Project, IIIEE Department, Lund University
Prepared and presented by – TANZINA AZAD
PROJECT BACKGROUND
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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.
PROJECT OBJECTIVE
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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
ACTIVITY DONE
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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.
Abul Kalam Azad, chairman of Printing and Packeging
Association of Bangladesh. Another person is a government
employee -Md. Khorshed Alam, 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.
SURVEY CONDUCTED ON HOUSEHOLDS
ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOR TOWARDS WASTE
Mohakhali
Dhanmondi
10 households from four buildings
New Eskaton
10 households from three buildings
Paribagh
10 households from one building
10 households from one building
10 households from two buildings
Purana Paltan
CONT…
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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.
CONT…
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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.
CONT…
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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.
CONDUCTED A SEMINAR WITH STAMFORD
UNIVERSITY, DHAKA
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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.
THE DELIVERABLES
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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.
DISCUSSION WITH ‘JAGO FOUNDATION’
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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.
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.
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STUDENTS PROBLEM: ‘JAGO FOUNDATION’
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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.
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.
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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.
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OUTCOME OF THE QUESTION/ANSWER
SESSION WITH INTERVIEWEE 1
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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.
CONT…
Interviewee 2:
 Name: Md. Khorshed Alam
 Occupation: Government Employee
 Company Name: National Bureau of Revenue
 Position hold: Member of NBR
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OUTCOME OF THE QUESTION/ANSWER
SESSION WITH INTERVIEWEE 2
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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
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.
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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.
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