Over 2,000 Bakerganj Port Residents Face Health Risks From Garbage

The riverside of the former launch ghat region near the city’s port has become a permanent landfill, creating a serious threat to public health and the environment in Bakerganj City. Due to a surplus of mismanaged trash, almost 2,000 people who live in the port region are at serious risk for health problems. Despite being a 35-year-old traditional city, the local government does not have sufficient dustbin infrastructure and a modern permanent dumping station, so homes and businesses are forced to dispose of their garbage on the banks of the Tulatoli River or by the side of the road.

Daily domestic trash, business garbage, non-biodegradable polythene, outdated medicines, and risky medical supplies, including used syringes and needles, are all being publicly disposed of at the location, according to an on-site investigation. A large amount of this trash constantly washes into river water, endangering local wildlife and seriously damaging the aquatic ecology. Additionally, the strong smell of rotten rubbish has made it difficult for local traders, regular people, and walkers to travel about the busy port area daily.

Local business owners have expressed intense concern about the ongoing absence of adequate local oversight and administrative indifference. Discussions with traders in the port area revealed that the town still does not have a designated location for disposing of rubbish, so residents and merchants are left with no choice but to dump trash near the river. Community stakeholders stress how urgent it is to build a permanent garbage disposal facility to maintain the region’s ecosystem and public health.