Blockades halt waste disposal

The protest march led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members and resulting closure of roads and highways in Rawalpindi and Islamabad has taken a toll on waste management services in the twin cities.

Five days into the barricaded-by-containers situation of the capital, waste dumping vehicles have been unable to reach collection points and dumping sites. This has led to streets, neighbourhoods and markets turning into garbage dumps, with heaps of waste and litter seen everywhere. The problem has become so dire that an increased incidence of diseases attributable to the open piles of waste has been observed. Businesses near the garbage dumps have also been badly affected.

The drivers of the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) garbage collection vehicles stated that they want to collect garbage, but their vehicles are blocked from reaching the central garbage depot outside the city.

All entry routes into the city were sealed on Friday, November 22, and garbage has not been collected from any area of Rawalpindi since then. Consequently, the entire city has turned into a filth depot, which has given rise to an unbearable stench in many places. When the wind picks up near the heaps of waste, the smell is carried far, even invading residential spaces. In many places, garbage has spilled out onto the roads, especially in commercial areas, as collection points are not being emptied.

The RWMC has placed large iron baskets in the union council for waste disposal which serve as collection points. All these baskets are currently overflowing onto the roads. Due to the accumulation of garbage in various places, diseases such as stomachache, itching, ear, nose and throat infections, and eye inflammation are being increasingly reported. Undisposed hazardous waste from private clinics and hospitals risks even more serious health conditions.

Shopkeepers Amjad and Rashid said that we have been calling RWMC officers for three days and complaining, but they are unable to do anything because the roads are closed. Garbage cannot be collected until the roads are opened.

A garbage collection vehicle driver, Sufi Riaz, said that we have collected garbage from many areas, which has been dumped at the garbage depot near Liaquat Bagh. "Our vehicles are not being allowed to go outside the city, so we cannot perform our duties," he said.

Citizens Chaudhry Imran and Shaukat Ali said that the garbage disposal situation has been very bad in the entire city for three or four days and has caused various diseases to spread. They urged the Deputy Commissioner to allow garbage vehicles to dump waste at the garbage depot outside the city.

Benazir Bhutto General Hospital Deputy Medical Superintendent, Dr Inayat, said that garbage pollution is the basis of many diseases. Undisposed garbage also attracts flies, which in turn act as agents for infection spread. "The administration should immediately spray chemicals at the places where garbage is piled up so that the bad smell does not spread and its harmful effects can be prevented," he urged.

Meanwhile, the RWMC Director said that despite the difficulties and road closures, we are collecting garbage from all over the city.