Residents of Chapainawabganj municipality are facing severe health risks and daily suffering as heaps of unmanaged urban waste continue to be dumped along roadside areas in densely populated neighborhoods.

Ekramul Haq, a local teacher residing in the Nayagola Moar area, reported that municipal waste brought by trucks is dumped at the Nayagola dumping station in the middle of a populated area. Strong stenches spread across the surrounding neighborhood whenever the wind blows, making daily living extremely difficult for local residents.

Similarly, Sabera Khatun, an employee commuting daily from the Police Lines area through Nayagola, shared that the foul odor penetrates homes and becomes unbearable during rains, heightening long-term public health concerns.

Currently, all household waste generated across Chapainawabganj municipality is deposited at roadside locations in Nayagola Moar—situated directly opposite the Police Lines—as well as at another dumping site in Darijapur. Both the Nayagola and Darijapur landfield sites have essentially turned into massive garbage heaps.

Locals pointed out that despite being a century-old municipality, Chapainawabganj lacks a planned waste management system. Due to flawed initial planning, the solitary sanitary landfield constructed at a cost of Tk 13 crore has failed to yield effective results, forcing the municipality to rely on traditional dumping methods. With both landfill sites reaching their maximum holding capacities, the absence of modern waste management poses a critical threat to public health.

Municipal sources revealed that Chapainawabganj generates 60 to 70 tons of waste daily, of which approximately 50 tons are collected without segregation and transported directly to secondary transfer stations or local containers before being dumped at the landfills. Traditional disposal methods leave environmental protection largely ignored.