Bhowana ranked Punjab's cleanest tehsil

The Faisalabad Waste Management Company (FWMC) has removed more than 615,400 tonnes of solid waste from 16 tehsils over the past six months, following the outsourcing of sanitation operations to private contractors.

The initiative, launched under the Punjab government's "Suthra Punjab" campaign, is aimed at transforming urban cleanliness standards and achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

According to FWMC sources, the company has deployed a workforce of over 15,000 personnel, 5,199 waste containers, and 3,014 pieces of machinery across the division to ensure regular waste collection from households and public spaces.

The massive operation comes as part of a province-wide sanitation reform led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, who approved the outsourcing model in November 2024 for all eight waste management companies in Punjab.

A half-yearly performance evaluation conducted by the Central Control Room of the Punjab Local Government Department placed Tehsil Bhowana of District Chiniot at the top among 132 tehsils across the province.

Bhowana was recognised for its superior sanitation standards, operational efficiency, and timely resolution of public complaints. Tehsils Jalalpur Pirwala in District Multan and Bahawalnagar secured second and third positions, respectively.

The control room, which monitors key performance indicators such as staff deployment, facial attendance, vehicle tracking, waste enclosure setup, complaint resolution, and tonnage collection, ranked 26 tehsils with average efficiency scores above 90.

Among these high-performing tehsils, seven belong to Faisalabad Division, including Jaranwala, Pir Mahal, Gojra, Kamalia, Chiniot, Lalian, and Toba Tek Singh.

Punjab Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq described the performance monitoring as a vital component in ensuring long-term sustainability of the initiative. He noted that municipal bodies previously managed to lift only 28,000 tons of solid waste daily, while the new system aims to handle 60,000 tons, ensuring proper waste disposal and minimising environmental hazards.

Rafiq added that control rooms have been established at the tehsil level and that more than 100,000 jobs have been created through the outsourcing model.

FWMC Chief Executive Officer Rauf Ahmad credited the first-place achievement of Tehsil Bhowana to the hard work of the company's field staff, as well as the cooperation of provincial and district administrations.