DAILY LIFE BLUES

The rotting stench caused an immediate feeling of vomit as I stood on the pavement ready to take some pictures of the garbage bin. Around me everything was business as usual; People entering in and out of the local bazaar, or walking to the bus stand nearby with complete indifference to this giant, filthy waste dump,   only a few feet away.  Some people however, like the girl in the picture, could not take it and readily showed her distaste as she covered her face trying to run away from this disgusting heap of pure garbage. Apparently, we have become desensitised to this problem to the effect that we have lost the will to complain and take large open waste bins on the road as something common and rather acceptable. But it does not have to be that way. Under the Local Government (City Corporation) Act 2008, the City Corporation is the body vested with the duty to 'take necessary steps' to remove waste from all places falling within its jurisdiction. It is further required to install and manage bins within the territory of City Corporation. Certainly there is the usual problem of lack of budget, or technology to effectively remove/recycle waste centrally. Nonetheless, something as simple as encouraging people to use bin bags to dispose off garbage from household can go a long way. Also, influential people in the community can start taking community initiatives parallel to or in aid of the existing garbage disposal mechanism in place by the City Corporation.  

-Photograph & concept by Nabil Ahsan.