Greater awareness on landfills stressed

Experts say govt should approve plans which fulfil international standards

ISLAMABAD:

With locals of Sangjiani vehemently opposing the construction of a landfill in their area, environmental and civic expects on Saturday said that the government should only approve those plans which fulfil all international standards and best practices apart from adequately educating the public about these standards and the utility of landfills.

They said this during a webinar on developing landfill sites in the federal capital to deal with the city’s massive garbage problem. The webinar had been hosted by the Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan).

UN-Habitat Country Manager Jawed Ali Khan said garbage is no longer considered as waste, rather it is viewed as a valuable resource.

After adequate segregation, he said that most waste becomes the raw material for many products. “We need to educate the public and authorities to understand the new mechanisms of waste management,” he said, adding that as a technical agency of the United Nations, they have assisted many countries in developing and managing Integrated Resource Recycle Centres (IRRCs).

“One was also developed in Sector G-15/4 in Islamabad in 2015 that is being run successfully. It is a profit-making centre that is producing manure for nurseries, parks and house-gardens,” he explained, adding that centres require just one Kanal of land and a structure to cater to the needs of a sub-sector.

He urged the government to make it mandatory for every housing society, public or private, to build their own waste management, sewage treatment and clean air mechanisms.

Former Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) director-general Asif Shuja Khan explained that over 50 million tonnes of garbage are generated daily in the country. He added that the country lacks proper disposal mechanisms.

“We need a national strategy followed by a doable action plan and supporting legislation,” he said, adding that there is a need for inclusive participation and engagement of different stakeholders, a realistic approach towards waste collection and management, training of the staff engaged in, and more importantly public awareness to reduce their waste and playing their role in its segregation and proper management.

Talking about the landfill site, Asif said there is a need to educate the public that it is not as bad as it is being projected by some interest groups.

In Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) solutions, only 15% of the waste goes to the landfill site, the former environment chief said.

Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed contended that land mafia agents were opposing the landfill site in Sangjani along with government officers and pseudo environmentalists.

ISWM expert Saadat Ali said a landfill site has nine layers of protection to avoid any leachate. The government, he said, should allow only a landfill site that fulfils international standards and best practices.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2020.