LWMC hopes to keep city spic and span on Eid

Chalks out comprehensive cleanliness plan for the city

LAHORE: The Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) has chalked out a comprehensive cleanliness plan to remove sacrificial animals’ waste from the city.

Famous film and TV star Jan Rambo (Afzal Khan) will also participate in LWMC cleanliness drive to raise awareness among citizens. Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, LWMC Managing Director Bilal Mustafa Syed said as many as 14,000 employees of the company would perform duties in different areas of the city during Eidul Azha holidays.



“Collection and transportation of animal waste on Eidul Azha has been one of the biggest challenges for the company since its inception, but it has made extraordinary arrangements to tackle the situation,” he said.

Syed said all LWMC officials, including senior management, would remain in the field for proper implementation of the Eid plan during holidays. “These efforts can result in an even better and more effective outcome if residents start lending a helping hand to workers by ensuring the use of provided waste bags,” he added.



He said LWMC sanitation arrangements were already in place and 170 workers, along with machinery and necessary gadgets, had been deployed in seven major animal markets across the city.

LWMC Senior Manager Communication Ali Mazhar Chaudhary shared that the company was reaching out to schools and markets in every town to raise awareness over Eidul Azha. Further arrangements, such as zero waste operation, would be conducted on Chand Raat (the night before Eid day) in which LWMC would use all its resources to collect waste from Lahore. Further establishment of 274 sanitation camps, in as many union councils of Lahore, as well as 116 temporary waste collection and transfer stations covering animal waste of private housing societies, will be completed two days before Eid.

Awareness material, along with two million customised biodegradable waste bags, would be made available at all Union Council (UC) camps, major mosques and stores before and during Eid. As many as 18 model camps will also be part of this plan which would offer the same services as UC camps in the city and help coordinate sanitation operations.

LWMC would be clearing municipal solid waste from all the graveyards of the city. LWMC managing director also said SMS service would be used to sensitise people on Eid days and additional staff would be deployed on LWMC helpline to serve maximum number of complaints by the public.



Speaking on the occasion, LWMC General Manager Operations Asif Iqbal said deputy mayors, UCs chairmen and other elected representatives would also be engaged in operational and awareness activities to make them effective and result oriented.

The LWMC managing director said last year, the company collected and safely transported nearly 30,000 tonnes of waste during the three days of Eid. This year, the tonnage is expected to rise. He said LWMC would be disposing of all waste in a scientific manner and its repercussions will not affect the local population.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2017.