Chittagong City Corporation has finalized six sites for construction of underground waste storage in Chittagong city. These waste storage facilities will be used as ‘Secondary Transfer Stations’ (STS). Tenders for the construction of the STS are scheduled to be called within the next month. Each STS can cost Rs 2.5 to 3 crores to build. Dhaka North City Corporation has also started construction process of 15 underground STS. Currently there are 7 STS in the city. But none of it is underground.

The finalized locations for construction of underground STS in Chittagong city are – Mahajan Ghata, GM Gate, Naya Bazar Mor, Almas Mor and Gate No. 2. Besides, this STS will be constructed either behind the GEC convention hall or in front of the BNP office on Noor Ahmad Road where the garbage is currently stored. Those concerned said that when the underground STS is 80 percent full, the auto notification will come. Moreover, the dirt will be compressed in half by means of hydraulic pressure. That is, if 10 tons of garbage is thrown away, it will become 5 tons if stored. It can collect twice as much waste in the same place than before. At the same time, the waste transportation cost of the city corporation will also be reduced in the case of taking it from STS to landfill.

City Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said that the waste stored in the underground STS will not be visible to the eyes and will not spread bad smell in the vicinity. Confirming the finalization of six places, City Mayor’s Private Secretary Abul Hashem said that tenders will be invited within the next month.
According to City Corporation sources, Finland’s Haba Group offered to supply the underground STS to the City Corporation in August last year. Then the mayor visited Finland on the invitation of ‘Haba-Underground Waste Storage System’ in November. There he visited the underground STS and studied its various aspects.

According to JICA data, 3000 tonnes of waste is generated daily in 41 wards of the city. Out of this 1 thousand 830 tons of household waste, 510 tons of road and infrastructure and 660 tons of medical waste. The corporation collects 2000 tonnes of waste generated. The rest of the waste falls into drains, canals, rivers and open spaces. Besides, from August 2022 to February 2023, ‘JFE Engineering Corporation’ and ‘Yochio Engineering Corporation’ carried out a survey on waste. It is said that an average of 2,100 tons of waste is produced in the city every day. 68 percent of which is related to food.
According to City Corporation sources, the waste collected from homes or sources is brought to STS by City Corporation. Then from STS it was taken by dump truck to the landfill located in Anand Bazar and Arefin Nagar in Halishahar. At present there are 6 STS funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Chandgaon, Lalkhan Bazar, Barisal Colony, Sagarika, Port Connecting Road, Airport Road area and one STS constructed by City Corporation under one kilometer flyover in Chandgaon.

However, currently there are hundreds of open spaces in the city outside the STS where the waste collected from houses is temporarily kept by the city corporation. However, many spots have waste containers. Even then, the waste is stored in the open, causing stench in the surroundings. In addition to the suffering of pedestrians, the city also loses its beauty. In this situation, the number of open storage areas will also decrease due to the installation of underground STS. At the same time, environmental friendly waste management will result in discipline.