Eid exercise: CDA braces for offal pile-up

Leaves of sanitation staff cancelled, over 2,000 workers deployed for operation clean-up

ISLAMABAD: Even though most residents head out of the city for Eid, the city’s administrators are bracing for handling hundreds of tonnes of animal waste on day one of Eidul Azha.

For this purpose, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has deployed an ‘army’ of over 2,000 sanitation workers for special cleanliness operation across the capital on Saturday.

Moreover, special arrangements are being made for collecting and disposing of offal, entrails and other waste of sacrificial animals in the capital.

The clean-up operation will continue for the three days of Eidul Azha and with workers of the Sanitation Directorate including supervisors, contractors and their staff, busy in cleaning up the city.

For streamlining this operation, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has divided Islamabad into six zones for collecting the waste of sacrificial animals.

According to CDA, Zone-I includes sectors F-5, F-6, Blue Area, Saidpur and Bari Imam. Zone-II comprises of Faisal Mosque, sectors E-7, F-7, F-8, and G-8. Similarly, sectors F-10 and F-11, Golra Sharif and Shah Allah Ditta have been placed in Zone-III. Sectors G-9, G-10 and G-11 are in Zone-IV, while sectors H-8, H-9, H-10, H-11, I-8, I-9, I-10 and I-11 are in Zone V. Islamabad Highway, Model Village Humak, Shehzad Town, Rawal Town and Margalla Town have been placed in Zone VI by the CDA.

According to CDA’s plan, apart from sanitation workers, over 200 vehicles from Sanitation, Environment, Enforcement and MPO including tractors and trolleys, compactors, trucks, dumpers, shovels and bulldozers will be used for collecting and disposing of wastes of sacrificial animals.

Additionally, sanitation contractors of the concerned sectors have been deputed to ensure that staff and machinery are deployed efficiently to cope with the emergency situation.

As part of the special sanitation plan for Eidul Azha, 60 feet deep ditches have been dug at 25 different locations around the city where offal and other waste of sacrificial animals will be dumped and buried in line with hygienic standards.

Emergency cells set up

The civic body has also set up two emergency cells. One of these is at the Transport Section, CDA Fire Headquarters in Sector G-7/4 while the other one has been set up at the Sanitation Directorate, in Sector G-6/1-4.

The centres will remain functional around the clock for a quick response.

The CDA has urged residents to cooperate with their staff and not dump offal and other waste material of sacrificial animals in the green areas. Rather, residents have been urged to keep the waste outside their houses so that sanitation workers can easily pick them up and dispose of them properly.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd, 2017.