LWMC buying hundreds of vehicles

Resource mobilisation, legal empowerment needed to optimise sanitation standard

LAHORE:

The Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) is facing problems due the lack of a law regarding its legal authority and resources, including a tax collection mechanism.

The company appears unable to completely clean the city's streets despite spending billions of rupees every year, due to which public complaints continue to pour in and the the image of the provincial capital is also affected.

However, the LWMC management hopes to raise the standard of cleanliness in the city to the international level by July next year. The growing population or Lahore is exacerbating the challenge of garbage collection and sanitation. The company has 8,000 sanitary workers and about 2,000 other employees, while its annual budget is about Rs13 billion.

It has has been facing problems since it took over the primary and secondary garbage collection services for the city from foreign companies. However, it has been gradually overcoming the difficulties.

Official estimates show that about 5,500 tonnes of garbage is being collected in Lahore daily basis, but difficulties have reportedly emerged in dumping the waste.

Read LWMC to procure 940 new vehicles

The city is divided into the jurisdiction of authorities, including the metropolitan corporation, cantonments and about 450 cooperative housing societies. The railways also controls a huge area in the city.

Billions of rupees are being lent annually to the waste management company by Punjab government but no policy has been formulated regarding its repayment, nor any steps have been taken to increase the revenue.

The company lacks legal power to take strict action against illegal garbage dumpers. There is also no segregation in collection of residential and commercial garbage.

Sindh government has enacted the Solid Waste Management Act to streamline the operations but Punjab has not yet completed the legislation.

The number of vehicles and containers for cleaning and garbage collection in Lahore is still very low. The work of washing and mechanical sweeping of main roads in the city has halted.

The cleaning service is carried out in most neighbourhoods but there are complaints about garbage collection. The vehicle repair and maintenance at workshops has not been completely restored since the overseas companies left.

The number vehicles awaiting repair at the workshops is increasing due slow pace of work and insufficient supply of parts. The LWMC has prepared a plan to buy 940 vehicles to ensure an efficient garbage collection and disposal system in the city.

The company has procured 246 of the vehicles that are working in the field. The company's officials say the plan envisages purchase of 60 per cent of the required vehicles by December and the remaining by March next year.

Similarly, the company has 6,000 garbage containers in residential and commercial areas but there is a shortage of 4,000 containers, due to which litter is thrown on the streets and roads, making its removal more difficult. A number of containers placed in different parts of the city also need to be repaired.

Read more LWMC awards waste collection contracts

The officials said there was an urgent need for a law to empower the company, address its shortage of resources and implement an integrated system of tax collection so that it could stand on its own feet and not burden the government.

LWMC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rabia Haider told The Express Tribune that the difficulties faced after taking over the cleaning and garbage collection work from foreign companies had been overcome to a great extent with the support of Punjab government, especially Local Government Secretary Noorul Amin Mengal.

In addition to the reduction in annual expenses, the company is acquiring assets under the new arrangement.

The CEO said complaints received from some places about garbage collection were being addressed.

She said the company would have more than 900 vehicles by March and the city would get adequate facilities in the field.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 17^th, 2021.