Poor cleanliness situation irks residents of Lahore

They complain LWMC and its partners aren’t collecting garbage from their areas

LAHORE: Although the Punjab government is taking part in ‘Clean and Green Pakistan' project like other provinces, cleanliness situation in various areas of the provincial capital, especially in middle and low-income neighbourhoods, is still unsatisfactory.

A number of citizens complained that the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) and its partners are not lifting waste from their areas.

Talking to The Express Tribune a citizen, Ali Khan, said that hardly any sweeper or waste collector visit their neighbourhood in Township areas, especially during holidays. "Although during weekdays some sweepers were seen sweeping streets in the morning but on Sunday no one bothers to clean streets or lift solid waste that caused inconvenience to citizens."

A resident of Green Town, Nousheen Bibi, said the government is making false claims that it has changed the face of the provincial metropolis by ensuring proper cleanliness. In reality, the government has the least interest in cleaning low-income neighbourhoods, she added. Nousheen Bibi said Green Town is an underprivileged and densely populated sector of Township which clearly shows the actual state of cleanliness in the city. "We hardly see any sweeper or waste collector in the area. Heaps of garbage can be seen in every other street. It seems that resident of Green Town and adjoining areas are not part of the capital city."

A citizen, Muhammad Asif, said though generally in some areas waste collectors collect waste in the morning but there is no arrangement for waste collection in the evening. He questioned for which purpose the government has made an agreement with Turkish companies if cleanliness situation in the city is so pathetic.

Similar remarks were made by several other citizens from China Scheme, Shadbagh, Misri Shah, Daroghawal, Salamatpura, Sabzi Mandi and Sabzazar. Residents complained that poor cleanliness is also spreading respiratory and skin diseases in their areas due to the negligence on the part of the government agencies.

LWMC General Manager Operations Sohail Anwar Malik said the company is making all possible efforts to ensure cleanliness in the provincial capital. He pointed out that the government has recently invested Rs1.25 billion to improve solid waste cleanliness arrangement in the city.

LWMC Manager Communication Jamil Khawar highlighted that besides cleanliness and waste collection for different areas of the city, the company is continuously running awareness campaigns to sensitise citizens about the significance of cleanliness.

"We have been conducting awareness sessions in collaboration with schools, colleges, trade associations, market unions as cleanliness is a collective responsibility of all citizens," he said. He underlined that no government agency can keep any metropolis clean without its citizens' cooperation." The company is also taking part in clean and green Pakistan initiative, said Khawar.