Open trash burning persists despite smog emergency

Residents living near garbage dumps suffer from breathing ailments

RAWALPINDI:

Despite the imposition of a smog emergency, the process of burning garbage on the streets continues unabated in the garrison city.

The trash in the garbage dumps continues to burn throughout the day, with toxic fumes causing nose, ear and throat ailments among the citizens. Residents living in the vicinity of the garbage dumps are also suffering from breathing problems.

Smog is a result of anthropogenic activities, such as increased traffic, industrialisation and the rising pace of urbanisation. The major causes of air pollution are industrial emissions, vehicle emissions, domestic emissions, construction-related dust emissions, smoke from brick kilns and soot from the burning of agricultural waste.

People of all ages are affected by smog, with children and the elderly being more susceptible to diseases caused by air pollution. The alarming increase in pollution with the change of weather poses a heightened risk of throat and eye-related diseases.

Sagheer Ahmed, a resident of Rawalpindi’s Saddar neighbourhood, said that the cleaning staff cleans different streets and markets in the morning. “During this time, instead of transporting the waste to the dumping site, they set it on fire on the streets,” he said.

“Shopping bags, plastic and other items are burned on the garbage heap all day long and the smoke that comes out is very smelly and toxic,” he explained. “The smoke from the burning garbage is causing respiratory and other diseases in the residents of the area,” he added.

The citizen demanded the Chief Executive Officer of the Rawalpindi Cantonment take notice of the process of burning waste in the streets.

Meanwhile, a resident of Kamran Market Chowk said that the cleaning crew sets the garbage on fire at various places in the morning, while there are schools, colleges, mosques and other buildings in the area where people are facing severe problems due to smoke.

The Rawalpindi district administration is violating the smog emergency itself while the citizens are suffering from various diseases, he lamented. “We demand the Punjab CM to take immediate notice of this illegal act and stop the burning of trash so that the health of the citizens can be secured,” he said.

Due to the continuous and dangerous increase in smog and air quality index in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the Ministry of Environmental Protection last week established an anti-smog squad for the Rawalpindi district.

The seven-member squad is empowered to impose a fine of Rs50,000 to Rs100,000 on the spot and seal the factory or kiln emitting dangerous gases. The squad has been issued strict orders to launch a major crackdown on all smoke-emitting machinery including smoke-emitting factories, large bakeries and brick kilns in all five districts of the Rawalpindi range.

The current Air Quality Index (AQI) has reached an alarming level of 190 in the garrison city, 186 in the federal capital and 150 to 170 in the other four districts.

As part of the smog reduction measures in the province, the Lahore High Court, earlier this week, ordered the closure of all markets and restaurants in Lahore by 10 pm on weekdays as well as sealing any schools that opened on Fridays as part of measures to reduce smog.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2022.