Clean-sweep: Sanitary workers disappear before polls
Residents remain distressed over political parties’ indifference toward cleanliness
PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
It is a general practice that sanitation workers in different corners of the federal capital are engaged before the election activity to ensure cleanliness for grabbing attention of the voters. However, this time against the spirit, the sanitation department in the federal capital is showing more lethargy in removing heaps of garbage along with different overflowing nullahs in the city which is posing serious health hazards to the dwellers during the prevailing monsoon season.
"Not a single party worker or any candidate visited us before the election to ask about our issues. Our streets and roads are in dilapidated condition and our children are at risk of monsoon diseases due to unhygienic conditions," said Aisha Khan, a voter of NA-53 said.
"Islamabad is the capital city, so it should be a model example for provinces in terms of facilities and cleanliness, but instead the city is showing a gloomy picture of negligence on part of concerned of authorities," she observed.
The residents of Islamabad particularly in sectors I-8 and I-10, G-7, G-9, F-6, F-7 and G-10 are compelled to bear the stench of garbage heaps and stagnant water in the nullahs, although they were expecting that the cleanliness drive would start before election and the pending works would be completed but unfortunately there was no change in the poor conditions of the area.
"Smelly garbage and overflowing nullahs are a source of several diseases during the monsoon season. Sanitation workers only collect garbage from our street one day a when it should ideally be collected on a daily basis,” said Saima Shafique, a resident of NA-54.
She lamented that cleanliness never remained the priority of political parties and those who come to power hardly pay any heed to this issue.
The major political parties have although promised to focus on cleanliness issue in their manifestos but these are always claims and no one focuses on this issue, she lamented.
According to medical experts, the stagnant water and rotten garbage causes malaria, dengue, cholera, dysentery and respiratory, therefore it can be particularly harmful, especially for children.
When contacted Capital Development Authority (CDA) Director Sanitation Sardar Khan Zimri said, "We have held several meetings in this regard and already declared an emergency for preventing nullahs from overflowing and ensuring cleanliness in the city."
“We have also given the task to the sanitation workers to work round-the-clock to ensure cleanliness in the surroundings of polling stations in Islamabad so that the voters may not face any inconvenience,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 24th, 2018.
It is a general practice that sanitation workers in different corners of the federal capital are engaged before the election activity to ensure cleanliness for grabbing attention of the voters. However, this time against the spirit, the sanitation department in the federal capital is showing more lethargy in removing heaps of garbage along with different overflowing nullahs in the city which is posing serious health hazards to the dwellers during the prevailing monsoon season.
"Not a single party worker or any candidate visited us before the election to ask about our issues. Our streets and roads are in dilapidated condition and our children are at risk of monsoon diseases due to unhygienic conditions," said Aisha Khan, a voter of NA-53 said.
"Islamabad is the capital city, so it should be a model example for provinces in terms of facilities and cleanliness, but instead the city is showing a gloomy picture of negligence on part of concerned of authorities," she observed.
The residents of Islamabad particularly in sectors I-8 and I-10, G-7, G-9, F-6, F-7 and G-10 are compelled to bear the stench of garbage heaps and stagnant water in the nullahs, although they were expecting that the cleanliness drive would start before election and the pending works would be completed but unfortunately there was no change in the poor conditions of the area.
"Smelly garbage and overflowing nullahs are a source of several diseases during the monsoon season. Sanitation workers only collect garbage from our street one day a when it should ideally be collected on a daily basis,” said Saima Shafique, a resident of NA-54.
She lamented that cleanliness never remained the priority of political parties and those who come to power hardly pay any heed to this issue.
The major political parties have although promised to focus on cleanliness issue in their manifestos but these are always claims and no one focuses on this issue, she lamented.
According to medical experts, the stagnant water and rotten garbage causes malaria, dengue, cholera, dysentery and respiratory, therefore it can be particularly harmful, especially for children.
When contacted Capital Development Authority (CDA) Director Sanitation Sardar Khan Zimri said, "We have held several meetings in this regard and already declared an emergency for preventing nullahs from overflowing and ensuring cleanliness in the city."
“We have also given the task to the sanitation workers to work round-the-clock to ensure cleanliness in the surroundings of polling stations in Islamabad so that the voters may not face any inconvenience,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 24th, 2018.