Waste disposal: Garbage dumps creating health hazards

Dr Sharif Astori termed overstuffed dumpsters to have become a breeding ground for diseases

ISLAMABAD: Improper garbage collection from waste-bins, installed at different places, is gradually becoming an environmental threat, eventually creating health hazards for residents of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

These over-stuffed dumpsters, with overflowing rubbish and garbage, have become breeding grounds for diseases which calls for immediate measures to rectify the situation.

Polyclinic Islamabad spokesperson Dr Sharif Astori termed it a bad example of sanitation rules which affects human health. It also affects animals, digging out rubbish, which spreads bacteria and viruses in a locality, he informed. "The uncovered garbage makes the public prone to the seasonal diseases including diarrhea, gastro and especially skin problems," he added. He also recommended applying insecticide or lime-powder on these over-stuffed dumpsters.

Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) Director Sanitation Sardar Khan Zimri said that the IMC was taking several measures to keep the city clean by fully utilising resources at its disposal.

Additionally, the administration was also planning to outsource trash-collecting to a private company for further streamlining the cleaning process.

Moreover, the IMC was working out different options to recycle the garbage and utilise it for a constructive purpose like energy generation and making organic fertilisers. Zimri informed that the IMC was in the process of consultation with different entities, to find a means of waste disposal without impacting the environment and public health.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2018.