The High Court has issued a rule regarding the severe air pollution resulting from burning waste and the subsequent emission of toxic smoke at Matuail sanitary landfill, the largest waste disposal site under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
A High Court bench, comprising Justice Fatema Najib and Justice AFM Saiful Karim, delivered the order on Monday, following the hearing of a writ petition.
In the rule, the court sought to know why the failure or inaction of the authorities to control the toxic smoke and air pollution caused by waste burning at Matuail sanitary landfill expansion project should not be declared illegal.
The court further questioned why the failure to take preventive measures by enforcing law and implementing the project’s master plan should not be declared illegal.
The environment secretary, the Dhaka South City Corporation, and other relevant parties have been directed to provide their responses to the rule.
Advocate Abul Kalam Azad, who moved the petition, stated that according to the Air Pollution Control Rules, dumping and burning waste in open spaces is strictly prohibited.
He further remarked that while the state is expected to play an effective role in ensuring the safety of the public and preventing pollution, the City Corporation’s own project has now become one of the primary causes of pollution.
