Space of waste: Poor disposal systems turn Haripur into wasteland

Open dumps expose citizens to multiple health hazards; ecosystem affected

HARIPUR: With no eco-friendly alternative like treatment plants, municipal authorities in Haripur have been dumping solid waste on the land of private owners without their permission.

Under the burden of an ever-growing population and unplanned construction, Haripur’s Tehsil Municipal Administration has been facing tremendous difficulty in finding accessible dumping grounds to dispose solid waste.

This was revealed by official sources to The Express Tribune on Friday. The last contract for the purpose was with a land owner in Mirpur for two years and it expired some three months back. This has forced the municipal authority to dump 12 tonnes of solid waste at various places.

Not a dumping ground

For some time, the sanitation staff was disposing hazardous solid waste in River Daur near Mankarai. Nowadays, a rainwater course near Chechiyan Village on Khanpur Road is being used as the dumping ground.

Thanks to a lack of a solid waste management plan, the TMA staff has been facing criticism for some time as well as resistance from residents of areas surrounding these properties. Essentially, the garbage is being dumped without permission of the land owners. According to Haripur TMA Sanitary Inspector Asif, the population is on the rise and there is little land left to absorb solid waste. Hence, disposing huge quantities has become difficult.

Wanted: Landfills

Asif said an advertisement seeking expression of interest from landowners of Pandak and Darwesh union councils and surrounding areas in the southern limits of the city was placed in the newspapers.

He added a handsome amount was offered for landowners who can provide 20 kanals for a landfill with a daily capacity of 12 tonnes of garbage. He says up to Rs30,000 is on offer for landowners with 20 kanals of property in an accessible area. However, landowners avoid giving out their properties as many are located in populated areas, Asif said.

“It is quite unfortunate the political leadership and administrative machinery of Haripur, one of the biggest revenue generating districts of K-P, failed to arrange a solid waste treatment plant,” highlighted Naeem Qureshi, an educationist.

He said the dumping of solid waste has health and environmental implications and is a crime. Qureshi believed the practice exposes the ecosystem to harm which will have an impact lasting several years.

Qureshi slammed elected representatives from the region, including four sitting MPAs, a senator and MNA, for neglecting the district. He said politicians have billions at their disposal through the budget, yet solid waste was being dumped in open spaces.

Ali Raza, an agriculturist, echoed Qureshi’s views and said the absence of a solid waste treatment plant amply demonstrates the lack of interest among elected representatives. He says the chemical-laden solid waste also harms the fertility of the land.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2016.