People brave stench as CDA fails to materialise a plan

Islamabad : Despite repeated public complaints no let-up is seen over collection of the garbage from the stuffed waste dumpsters by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and residents are left with no option but to tolerate teasing odour and wait an outbreak of infectious disease.The placing of waste bins of different sizes across the capital, one of the archaic strategy of Capital Development Authority (CDA) to handle the total generated trash of Islamabad, has gradually left the capital's dwellers to breath in polluted air.The trash trollies aimed at giving the city a civilized look, are somehow becoming breeding places for mosquitoes and creating health hazards for the public as they were not being properly covered.The residents of the different sectors including G-6, G-7, G-8, G-9, G-10, I-8, I-9, I-10 and other complained about the untimely cleaning of these waste bins which was also making them more prone to communicable diseases like Malaria, Dengue and diarrhoea.Talking to this agency, Director Sanitation of Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad Sardar Khan Zimri said that the Corporation was taking different measures to keep the city clean by fully utilizing resources at its disposal, citing the paucity of funds to properly handle the trash generated in the capital.He said the administration was also planning to outsource trash-picking to a private company for further streamlining the cleaning process.Additionally, the Corporation was working out different options to recycle the garbage and utilize it for a constructive purpose like energy generation and making organic fertilizers, requiring around Rs 1.25 billion for handling the total generated trash of the federal capital through insight plans.The outsourcing scheme was already operational in G-6, G-7, G-8, G-9, G-10, G-11 and I-8 Sectors as pilot project since August that had given positive results, he added.The Director informed that the MCI was in the process of consultation with different entities, for the waste disposal without impacting the environment and general health.Highlighting the options considered by the civic authority over the years, Zimri stressed for materializing the waste-to-energy plant project which would play a significant role in bringing down littering in the capital to zero level and provide the city a civilized look.Some foreign companies, he said, had shown their desire to build the plants on BOT basis. “They had suggested charging $10 to 12 for converting one-ton garbage into energy and then selling it to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority,” he added.He said he wrote three times to the CDA for allocating the place for the Waste-to-Energy Plant in Sanjrani which he regretted was being dealt with slow approach.Polyclinic’s Dr Sharif Astori said trash should be lifted daily as the bins mostly contained food waste, inviting bacteria to grow which could affect the human respiratory system.“Its initial breakdown and subsequent decomposition by the micro-organisms both created unpleasant smell.The people, who had to bear its smell all the day, might have more aggressive behaviour, Qasim claimed.Muhammad Ishtiaq, a government employee in sector I-9 called for placing these waste-containers outside the localities and practice of placing it before homes, shops, schools and playing grounds must be discouraged. "We are forced to keep our doors and windows shut to avoid this uninvited adversity," he said.He urged the authorities concerned that if they could not put these uncovered bins outside the localities, at least it should apply insecticide or lime-powder on these over-stuffed dumpster.A retired CDA employee on the condition of anonymity, told this agency that despite lapse of over 50 years, no permanent of garbage dumping site had been set up for the capital due to mishandling of the matter by the civic body.The city had witnessed relocation of dumping site to sectors H-10, I-12, I-14, I-15 and then back to I-12 over the years. There was need for to deal with the persistent.

from The News International - Islamabad https://ift.tt/2SBO7Rf