A Gap Analysis in Selected Asian Countries, 3R Knowledge Hub ...

BACKGROUND
Bangladesh has a population of about 150 million
living on a land area of about 145,000 km 2 .
Despite sustained domestic and international
efforts to improve economic and demographic
prospects, Bangladesh remains an impoverished
and overpopulated nation. However, the country
has managed to achieve a per capita GDP of
about USD 2,200. Although more than half of the
GDP is generated through the services sector,
nearly 30% of the people thrive on agriculture.
Major impediments to growth include frequent
cyclones and floods, inadequate port facilities, a
rapidly growing labor force that cannot be
absorbed by agriculture and insufficient power
supplies. The country, striving to achieve
economic stability, is pressed by various issues
from different angles. One of the key issues in the
country is waste management. The country often
has deficit national budgets preventing the
implementation of waste management initiatives
at a large scale. In Dhaka, especially, problems
from solid waste are very acute compared to
many cities of the developing countries.
PRIORITY AREAS
Bangladesh faces a serious problem in managing
its pollution crisis. With the present population
density of 1500/km 2 , one of the highest in the
world, Dhaka City faces serious problems in
tackling waste issues. For instance, in low-lying
areas of Bangladesh, clogging of sewer systems
and storm-water drains during heavy flooding is
due to the haphazard disposal of waste. Threats
to public health from the disposal of municipal
solid waste warrant it to be considered with top
priority for action.
chapter 3
country analysis
3.1
Bangladesh
URBAN MUNICIPAL WASTE
Generation of urban solid waste in Dhaka City
is more than 4,000 tons/day, including about
200 tons of healthcare waste. Although, organic
fractions dominate the urban solid waste,
plastics and packaging waste are gradually
increasing due to urbanization and
uncontrolled urban sprawl.
Waste generation in Bangladesh varies
seasonally. The country generates more waste in
winter than in summer.
Although, a very small portion of waste is
composted compared to open dumping, the
current approach of decentralized composting
has proved very successful in treating organic
waste due to the initiatives and support from
local NGOs such as Waste Concern, and other
international agencies. Currently, many smallscale
composting plants in Dhaka have shown
more success in windrow composting.
Chapter 3: Country Analysis
9