Garbage disposal project kicks off

Official says Rs30.5 million initiative aims to dispose of refuse through scientific method

ABBOTTABAD:

Water and Sanitation Services Company Abbottabad (WSSCA) on Monday has completed a pilot project with the financial assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the provision of two trash bins to 840 houses of Ward No. 11 of Abbottabad city with a cost of Rs30.5 million for cleaning of garbage through a scientific methodology.

Talking to the APP WSSCA Spokesperson Omer Swati said that the project was completed by the Oxfam GB and handed over to the WSSCA, the project was launched to discard the garbage using modern techniques.

Sharing the details of the water supply scheme, he said, "We have replaced 3,700 feet of rusted water supply line and reconstructed the outer walls of 12 water tanks in Ward No. 11 under the ADB pilot project. "We have provided two waste bins of different colours to each house of Ward No. 11 from where WSSCA sanitation staff would collect garbage on a daily basis while directing the masses about the difference in waste bins." The spokesperson said people should use the blue-coloured waste bin for paper, plastic, bones and other hard materials, while green-colour bins would be used for kitchen waste.

"We have also formed a community stakeholder group comprising 15 residents, besides these 15 members WSSCA also trained 100 women and 100 men of the community in environment, sanitation arrangements, water use precautions and household waste disposal at all levels," added the spokesperson.

He said, "We have also placed banners and posters at various places in Ward No. 11 and distributed pamphlets from house to house to remind and inform the masses about the drive." Swati further said that WSSCA has also provided special training to the sanitation staff working in the area, and they have provided good quality shoes, uniforms and other personal protection equipment. A Material Recovery Facility (MRF) is being set up at the Salhad Dumping Ground to dispose of the waste of Ward 11 so that compost can be made from the daily waste generated in the area.

He said that 2 loader rickshaws have also been provided to WSSCA for transporting garbage from Ward 11 to Salhad, by making the project a success with public support. "We will set an example for other areas and the same model can be replicated in those areas," he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2022.