Suthra Punjab Programme struggles amid resource shortage

7,500 more sanitary workers are required for the city, with a population of almost 14 million

LAHORE:

In contrast to the growing population and expanding industrial and commercial activities of Lahore, the overall sanitation situation in the city is unsatisfactory to say the least. Despite the announcement of the Suthra Punjab Programme by the provincial government, the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) is still facing a shortage of manpower and technical resources.

According to a study conducted by the Urban Unit, 540 grams of garbage is collected per person per day in Lahore. In this proportion, more than 6000 tonnes of municipal waste are accumulated daily, of which 4500 to 5500 tonnes of garbage is reportedly collected, as per the LWMC. The citizens, however, refuse to accept this claim since most areas in the city are not cleaned daily.

Kamran, a resident of Allama Iqbal Town, expressed his concerns over the sanitation situation in his locality. “Due to a lack of cleaning from the government, the residents of our neighbourhood have organized joint sanitation among ourselves. We pay private individuals who clean the streets and pick up the garbage. In some places, even the government staff takes money from the houses to collect garbage,” said Kamran.

Similarly, Hafiz Ahmed, a local from Sabzazar also revealed that the cleaning staff did not come in his area for several days. “When residents protest against this, they say that we have less staff,” revealed Ahmed.

According to the data provided by LWMC, there are currently 10,000 sanitary workers, 3,000 drivers, 2,000 workshop staff and 1,200 vehicles for cleaning in Lahore. On the other hand, according to an Urban Unit Research Report, which cites international standards, one sanitary worker is required for every 1,000 people, while for a dense population, one sanitary worker per 600 people is recommended.

Looking at this ratio, 17,500 sanitary workers are required for Lahore, with a population of more than 14 million, but according to the company's claim, it has only 10,000 workers. Official sources admit that 25 to 30 more sanitary workers are currently required in each union council in the city. Furthermore, LWMC is currently suffering from a severe personnel crisis since a large number of sanitary workers have not been paid in months and are being forced to work with the promise of rehabilitation.

On a separate note, a government official associated with LWMC revealed on the condition of anonymity, that the composite plant installed at the Lakhodair landfill site had been shut down as the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) wanted to permanently decommission the site and build a park there. “If this plant is operational, 500 to 800 tonnes of garbage can be recycled per day. Similarly, a cement company offered to take 1,000 tonnes of waste per day and process it in its plant to make fertilizer, but this offer has also been ignored,” informed the official.

According to an official report, 71 per cent of the waste collected in Lahore on a daily basis is municipal while 29 per cent is bulk. Almost 73 per cent of municipal waste is from households, of which 27 per cent is collected from doorsteps, while the remaining 73 per cent is collected from street dumping points and containers on highways. Furthermore, the cleanliness of the roads is also deteriorating since the size of the city dictates that at least 2,000 kilometers of the road network should be cleaned daily, however, at the moment only 840 kilometers are mechanically cleaned.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Babar Sahib Din, CEO at the LWMC claimed that they had fired 2,500 ghost employees from the company. "On the direction of the Chief Minister, we are hoping to introduce a new working model at the tehsil level under a private-public partnership. At present, the Lakhodair dumping site is usable for another three years while we are working with RUDA for a new landfill site at Babu Sabu," claimed Din.