Garbage crisis deepens amid protests

The city's sanitation system has come to a complete standstill amid the ongoing strikes and protests, plunging Rawalpindi into a state of near paralysis. Already struggling with poor waste management, the city has now effectively turned into an open-air dumping ground.

On Thursday and Friday, road closures caused by protest camps and the weekly Friday Bazaars prevented waste collection vehicles from operating across the city.

Consequently, refuse has accumulated in every street, lane, and neighbourhood, with temporary garbage sites overflowing and waste left uncollected for days.

No waste collection vehicles, sweepers, or sanitary workers from the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) have been seen on duty. As a result, mounds of rubbish have built up throughout residential areas, spreading an unbearable stench and making daily life increasingly difficult for citizens.

The RWMC's sanitation operations, already in disarray, have been further crippled by the protest call of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). In the past, waste collection vehicles would appear every two or three days, but for the past 10 days, not a single worker or truck has been spotted in any locality.

Iron waste trolleys placed along roadsides, street corners, and market areas are now overflowing, with rubbish spilling onto the roads. This has not only disrupted traffic but also filled the air with a pervasive odour.

Citizen Action Committee Chairman Malik Zaheer Awan said that the committee had appealed to the Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) and the Deputy Commissioner (DC) to temporarily lift the roadblocks and allow waste disposal vehicles to operate outside the city limits. However, the request was denied.