Cleaning up Peshawar

PTI publicises “Clean & Green Peshawar" but has forgotten implementation of legislation essential for such...

While the PTI government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has always been keen on publicising its city cleanliness campaigns such as “Clean and Green Peshawar”, it appears to have forgotten about the implementation of crucial legislations essential to the success of such campaigns. In October 2015, the K-P Assembly had passed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Canal and Drainage (Amendment) Act, according to which penalties for building encroachments, throwing garbage or polythene bags and diverting sewage lines into canals had been made substantially harsher. Under this Amendment, the fine for polluting canal-water supply was increased from Rs50 to Rs20,000 and jail terms ranging from one month to two years were also instituted. Despite these strict laws, however, large parts of the provincial capital are still swimming in filth. To date, not a single person has been charged with violating this law although recent cleanliness drives in the city have seen tonnes of solid waste material being removed from canals and garbage being cleared out.

Interestingly, officials at the irrigation department are unaware of the Amendment and claim they have not been notified of any such legislation in all these months. What would be the purpose of amending any Act when there is such little concern for its implementation and government officials themselves are clueless about the law? Too often, citizens are criticised, and rightly so, for expecting the government to take care of every civic issue and not taking any individual responsibility in this regard. But it is also important to question what the authorities in K-P have done so far to develop an effective waste disposal system in the provincial capital as well as the rest of the province. In the absence of a proper sanitation system, it is no surprise that sewage waste ends up being dumped into canals. Most people do not have the luxury of relying on a trash collection service. How does one expect them to dispose of garbage in such circumstances? While laws such as the K-P Canal and Drainage Act are welcome, the provincial government needs to start implementing these in earnest. As things stand, the battle for a clean and green Peshawar, and indeed the province, appears to be a long and hard one.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 1^st,  2016.

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