Islamabad should be a role model of cleanliness: SC
Bench seeks report on waste management, sewage treatment
PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
The federal capital was built without any consideration of waste management and sewerage treatment, Supreme Court of Pakistan noted viewing absence of these vital civic amenities from the city’s master plan.
Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday summoned reports from Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Islamabad Municipal Corporation (IMC) on waste management and sewerage water treatment projects in federal capital.
Islamabad should be a role model of cleanliness for the rest of the cities in the country, the SC bench noted, appreciating decision of the government to ban single use polythene bags in the federal capital.
A three-member bench headed by acting Chief Justice Azmat Saeed heard the case regarding waste management and sewerage treatment plants in Islamabad.
Justice Umer Ata Bandial said that master plan commission gave no recommendations regarding waste management plants and it seemed like there was no clear policy regarding it. He said the case was initiated after pollution in Rawal Lake and expressed that the administration was without any vision of maintaining cleanliness inside and outside city.
Meanwhile, Justice Bandial appreciated acting chairman CDA, who is also Islamabad’s commissioner, and said that Aamer Ali Ahmed was a smart officer. “He is enthusiastic about doing something for city however he is not on this position permanently.” He added that there should be a permanent leadership for authority. The court also hailed IMC’s efforts to ban plastic in federal capital.
Further, the secretary interior ministry told the court that changing in capital’s master plan was a top agenda of incumbent government.
He added the commission formed in this regard would give recommendations for sustainable development for next forty years.
Justice Bandial remarked that court was only concerned with outcomes not with what was said in meetings. He asked of progress on installation of waste management units by housing societies. CDA Chairman Aamer Ali Ahmed informed that housing societies would install them very soon.
Justice Bandial welcoming the decision to install waste management units in housing societies remarked that people construct illegal structures, did not pay taxes but litter the city and destroy its beauty.
He directed CDA chairman to expand tax net to increase revenue collection and said that recommendations from environmental protection agency (EPA) should be implemented as well. Ahmed told the court that there were no building codes in federal capital before however the master plan commission would review all buildings from now onward.
The court directed CDA and IMC to present a progress report on sewerage water treatment projects and adjourned the hearing for a month.
Cleaning the lake
The Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) in collaboration with Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) has started debris collection campaign at Rawal Dam to preserve the aquatic life and make environment clean.
As per Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision ‘Clean and Green Pakistan’ the capital administration was addressing marine pollution issues on top priority, Agriculture Extension Services (AES) Director Qaiser Khan said on Thursday.
He said extreme vigilance had been exercised in regard to fitness of water for human consumption, adding that, Rawalpindi Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) was issuing water fitness certificate to the ICT fisheries department on daily basis.
The services of National Agricultural Research Council and Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency had also been sought in that regard and both the organisations had declared dam water fit for human consumption, he maintained. He said locals of the area are being encouraged to come up with any information regarding any incident of water contamination. Answering a query, he said, a control room working round the clock was set up at the dam to supervise the three boats deputed by fisheries department to carried out patrolling on the patterns of coast guards around the dam, he added.
Khan said, 10 pickets had been established at the edges of the dam to ensure watch and ward as well as to stop illegal fishing from the area.
Over 40 employees were performing duties on these pickets while two police reserves had been deputed to deal with any untoward situation, he said.
With additional input by APP
Published in The Express Tribune, August 2nd, 2019.
The federal capital was built without any consideration of waste management and sewerage treatment, Supreme Court of Pakistan noted viewing absence of these vital civic amenities from the city’s master plan.
Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday summoned reports from Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Islamabad Municipal Corporation (IMC) on waste management and sewerage water treatment projects in federal capital.
Islamabad should be a role model of cleanliness for the rest of the cities in the country, the SC bench noted, appreciating decision of the government to ban single use polythene bags in the federal capital.
A three-member bench headed by acting Chief Justice Azmat Saeed heard the case regarding waste management and sewerage treatment plants in Islamabad.
Justice Umer Ata Bandial said that master plan commission gave no recommendations regarding waste management plants and it seemed like there was no clear policy regarding it. He said the case was initiated after pollution in Rawal Lake and expressed that the administration was without any vision of maintaining cleanliness inside and outside city.
Meanwhile, Justice Bandial appreciated acting chairman CDA, who is also Islamabad’s commissioner, and said that Aamer Ali Ahmed was a smart officer. “He is enthusiastic about doing something for city however he is not on this position permanently.” He added that there should be a permanent leadership for authority. The court also hailed IMC’s efforts to ban plastic in federal capital.
Further, the secretary interior ministry told the court that changing in capital’s master plan was a top agenda of incumbent government.
He added the commission formed in this regard would give recommendations for sustainable development for next forty years.
Justice Bandial remarked that court was only concerned with outcomes not with what was said in meetings. He asked of progress on installation of waste management units by housing societies. CDA Chairman Aamer Ali Ahmed informed that housing societies would install them very soon.
Justice Bandial welcoming the decision to install waste management units in housing societies remarked that people construct illegal structures, did not pay taxes but litter the city and destroy its beauty.
He directed CDA chairman to expand tax net to increase revenue collection and said that recommendations from environmental protection agency (EPA) should be implemented as well. Ahmed told the court that there were no building codes in federal capital before however the master plan commission would review all buildings from now onward.
The court directed CDA and IMC to present a progress report on sewerage water treatment projects and adjourned the hearing for a month.
Cleaning the lake
The Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) in collaboration with Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) has started debris collection campaign at Rawal Dam to preserve the aquatic life and make environment clean.
As per Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision ‘Clean and Green Pakistan’ the capital administration was addressing marine pollution issues on top priority, Agriculture Extension Services (AES) Director Qaiser Khan said on Thursday.
He said extreme vigilance had been exercised in regard to fitness of water for human consumption, adding that, Rawalpindi Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) was issuing water fitness certificate to the ICT fisheries department on daily basis.
The services of National Agricultural Research Council and Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency had also been sought in that regard and both the organisations had declared dam water fit for human consumption, he maintained. He said locals of the area are being encouraged to come up with any information regarding any incident of water contamination. Answering a query, he said, a control room working round the clock was set up at the dam to supervise the three boats deputed by fisheries department to carried out patrolling on the patterns of coast guards around the dam, he added.
Khan said, 10 pickets had been established at the edges of the dam to ensure watch and ward as well as to stop illegal fishing from the area.
Over 40 employees were performing duties on these pickets while two police reserves had been deputed to deal with any untoward situation, he said.
With additional input by APP
Published in The Express Tribune, August 2nd, 2019.