CDA defends Sangjani landfill

Residents complain of foul smell, pollution

ISLAMABAD:

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) Wednesday defended its proposal for setting up a landfill site near Sangjani, meant for scientific disposal of tonnes of garbage being generated in the federal capital daily and dumped under a temporary arrangement in Sector I-12.

The civic agency's response came in the backdrop of a protest staged by the residents against the initiative, voicing concern about the area's ecology due to the proposed landfill site.

"The development of landfill near Sangjani is an initiative of paramount importance for people of Islamabad as it may be surprising for many that the federal capital lacks a permanent dumping site, forcing the sanitation department to dispose of the trash in residential area," CDA Director Sanitation Department Sardar Khan Zimri said.

He said in present times, there was a dire need for ensuring proper disposal of solid waste in the capital city to ensure clean and green environment under Prime Minister Imran Khan's vision. At least 600 tonnes of garbage was being generated in the capital city on daily basis, he added. He maintained that the site proposed by CDA near Sangjain was a deserted land not 'green one'.

Zimri alleged that some vested interests were resisting the initiative with no solid reason to contest against the initiative. When asked about residents concern on foul stench in the area, he said 100 hectares of land near Sangjani was proposed by a consultant hired by the CDA in a feasibility study for the project. The site was allocated for minimum hauling distance, suitable topography, distant from aircraft route for flight safety and socio-environmental factors, Zimri said.

CDA was engaged with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and was scheduled to hold a public hearing on November 17 for the purpose. He said the CDA would start the work on the project soon after getting the Pak-EPA approval. "We will try to adopt Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode for early completion of the project," Zimri said. Under the EPC mode, it would be responsibility of the contractor to design, construct and maintain the landfill site.

He vowed to develop the site on modern lines, which would be surrounded by greenery and plants to avoid any environmental hazards. Meanwhile, people residing in Sector I-12, where garbage is currently disposed of, demanded expediting relocation of the site.

In the past, civic agencies including CDA and Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) have selected multiple sites such as in Kurri and others but all kinds of waste is still dumped in Sector I-12 where citizens bear the brunt of that makeshift arrangement.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2020.