Dhaka, October 13: A proposed waste to energy power plant near a landfill outside Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka is facing opposition from nearby communities over concerns about toxic air pollution and potential health risks.
The $467 million project overseen by Dhaka North City Corporation and owned by China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), is designed to process up to 3,000 metric tonnes of municipal waste daily and generate up to 42.5 megawatts of electricity. The facility is scheduled for completion in December 2028.
Residents are concerned about the plant’s proximity to densely populated neighbourhoods and several schools located less than a mile away. Local farmers say smoke and ash from existing waste fires at the landfill already affect their health and agricultural activities.
“We can’t breathe when waste is burned in the dumping station,” said Md Naim, a farmer who grows rice and vegetables in the area. He described experiencing nasal congestion and headaches caused by smoke while working in the fields.
According to the project’s environmental impact assessment, the incinerator is expected to produce 74.8 metric tonnes of fly ash daily. An analysis by environmental groups estimates that the facility could generate 73,576 metric tonnes of solid waste annually, including 39.56 metric tonnes of toxic substances such as dioxins, furans and heavy metals.
Hasan Mehedi, secretary of the Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED), warned that prolonged exposure to air pollution could increase the risk of respiratory and lung related problems, eye irritation, fatigue and other health complications, particularly among children and elderly residents.
Local residents and the BWGED have called for the project to be cancelled. However, government officials maintain that addressing Dhaka’s growing waste management crisis requires urgent action.
During a site visit on July 1, Mir Shahe Alam, state minister for local government, rural development and co-operatives, said the city needed to find ways to manage its mounting waste, including through waste to energy technology bio compost fertiliser and chemical production.
The project has also raised concerns over changes to Bangladesh’s Air Pollution Control Rules 2022. The Department of Environment amended the rules to lower the minimum incineration temperature, reportedly to reduce operating costs.
Environmental activists argue that burning waste at lower temperatures could increase fly ash production and worsen pollution. However, Shaikh Faridul Islam, state minister for environment, forest and climate change, said the lower temperatures would be sufficient because the plant would process household organic waste rather than electronic or medical waste.
“If e-waste and medical waste are not burned, there will be no harm,” Islam said.
The proposed facility is intended to address Dhaka’s mounting garbage problem while generating electricity. However.concerns over emissions, toxic residues and the potential impact on nearby communities remain central to the debate over the project.