A Tk 14 crore sanitary landfill and waste treatment plant in Kishoreganj town remains non-operational three years after its completion, leaving the facility buried under heaps of garbage. Located beside the Bhairab–Mymensingh regional highway, the site emits a strong stench, polluting the environment and damaging nearby farmland. Despite being built with Asian Development Bank funding in late 2022, the project’s modern pumps and filtration systems now lie idle and deteriorating.

Kishoreganj Municipality’s administrator, Zebun Nahar Shammi, acknowledged the problem and said the project became defunct because waste was not properly separated into biodegradable and non-biodegradable categories. She added that reviving the facility would cost nearly as much as its original construction but assured that efforts are underway to resolve the issue quickly. Meanwhile, 20 to 25 truckloads of municipal waste continue to be dumped daily beside the highway, worsening pollution.

Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon’s Kishoreganj district president, Advocate Hamida Begum, warned that without a permanent solution, the environmental and public health situation could become even more severe.