KARACHI: It has emerged that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and district municipal corporation (DMCs) are facing administrative and financial difficulties, which has put a strain on its functions such as collection and disposal of municipal garbage.
“The garbage has been accumulating on the streets for days and even a single car cannot pass through,” said Farjal Hussain, a resident of Nayaabad, Lyari.
He further added that the foul smell of garbage surrounds the entire area and the residents are at a great risk of catching diseases because of the unhygienic environment they are being forced to live in.
In other areas, at district Central, North Nazimabad, the DMC has maintained a dumping point just behind the wall of the famous Asghar Ali Shah stadium. A heap of garbage occupies the entire road behind the stadium.
In areas where the garbage is being dealt with, it feels more like a catch-22 situation. The DMC staff - in an attempt to avoid the hassle of transporting it to the landfill site - often burn the garbage on empty plots.
“The fumes of the burning garbage pose a serious threat. We have complained several times but to no avail,” said Shehbaz Bagga, a resident of North Nazimabad. “During monsoon season, the garbage enters into our houses and blocks sewerage lines, leading the sewerage to overflow.”
According to environmentalist Qazi Athar, burning garbage leads to the emission of carcinogens which can pose a serious threat to health, especially if it is being done near schools and homes.
“Those who live near sewerage drains and inhale fumes from burning garbage are being exposed to cancer,” he said. “The authorities should maintain proper incineration equipment so that they can use garbage to generate power.”
The city generates more than 15, 000 tonnes of garbage and waste daily and due to insufficient resources all of this was not being disposed off to landfill sites and instead is either burnt off or left to accumulate and decompose in drains and empty plots.
All six DMCs are responsible for collecting solid waste materials and maintaining storm water drains, whereas the cleanliness of major drains is the responsibility of KMC along with maintenance of landfill sites located in the outskirts of the city.
All other localities including, Lyari, Keemari, SITE, Baldia, New Karachi, North Karachi, Landhi, Korangi, Orangi and Surjani also face the same problem. “The KMC staff held protest at Karachi Press Club just before the Iftar on Monday and demanded that the administration release their salaries,” said CBA union president, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah. “All we know is that the KMC is only still functioning right now through some miracle.”
“There is a need for a comprehensive plan to improve KMC’s administrative function otherwise, the citizens will continue to suffer,” he added.
The spokesperson for KMC agreed that with the current issue of salaries and without the help of the Sindh government, the KMC cannot operate properly,” he said.
On Tuesday, KMC administrator Rauf Akhtar Farooqui also issued a press release stating that the DMCs were responsible for disposal of garbage, adding that the KMC would however, support and cooperate with them to keep the city clean. “We are also asking for help from the private sector for solid waste,” the press release further stated.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 12th, 2014.
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