Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) is grappling with a concerning issue as eight out of its twelve road sweeper trucks, intended for cleaning the city’s roads, are currently out of order. The multimillion-worth dust cleaning vehicles, purchased to alleviate the residents’ frustration with road dust, are ironically lying idle and unable to fulfill their purpose.
The DNCC owns a total of 12 road sweeper trucks, with eight currently inactive in workshops. While three were allocated by the local government ministry, the DNCC procured two more using its funds, and the remaining three were acquired through a project implemented at DNCC.
Engineers from the waste management department reveal that the smaller road sweepers (500 kg capacity) are ineffective, as they generate more dust instead of cleaning. Two medium-sized vehicles (3 tonnes capacity) face issues with eroded brushes, rendering them unusable. The larger sweeper trucks are also non-operational due to technical problems, necessitating the import of machinery for repairs.
Saiful Islam, executive engineer of the waste management department, stated that the small road sweepers provided by the ministry serve no purpose. Discussions with the supplier company regarding the two sweepers purchased by DNCC’s funds have taken place, and the company has committed to resolving technical issues by importing necessary parts. The tender process for acquiring brushes for the two other sweepers has been finalized.
A visit to DNCC’s mechanical workshop in Gabtoli revealed three small road sweepers covered in dust, with even the DNCC stickers on the windshields obscured. Five larger road sweepers, three of which are non-functional, are also present in the same location. Additionally, three medium-sized road sweepers are stationed at DNCC’s Mohakhali regional office, while the remaining operational larger sweeper is primarily kept at the Dholpur workshop.
The challenges with road sweeper trucks are not new, as the ones provided by the local government ministry in October 2020 have been nearly non-functional from the start, causing more dust rather than resolving the issue. The ministry invested Tk 297.5 million in purchasing 20 road sweeper trucks from Italy, with each unit costing almost Tk 15 million.
The persistent dust pollution in Dhaka affects various demographics, with children, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with complex health conditions being particularly vulnerable. Adil Mohammad Khan, president of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, emphasizes the wastage of public funds due to the non-utilization of road sweepers and calls for increased attention from the city corporation to address the issue and hold responsible officials accountable. Without such oversight, public money risks being wasted, and the city’s cleanliness remains compromised.
