Canals clogged as trash continues pouring in
More than a decade after the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly introduced a strict law against dumping garbage and sewage into canals, not a single major penalty has been publicly reported under the legislation, even as waterways across Peshawar continue to overflow with plastic waste and filth.
The law, passed in 2015, was aimed at protecting canals from pollution, illegal sewerage connections, and encroachments. Under the legislation, throwing garbage, polythene bags, or waste into canals became a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment of up to two years and fines of up to Rs20,000. The law also prohibited the discharge of untreated sewage into canals and declared encroachments along canal banks illegal.
Before the amendment, violators faced minor penalties such as small fines and short-term imprisonment. The government had hoped the stricter law would discourage canal dumping and address the growing environmental and irrigation crisis in urban areas.
However, more than 10 years on, enforcement remains largely absent, with no major convictions or publicly reported punishments against those polluting canals in Peshawar or other parts of K-P. The lack of implementation has continued to place a heavy financial burden on the government, which now spends hundreds of millions of rupees annually on canal cleaning and desiltation campaigns.
Ajmal Khan, a resident near Ring Road in Peshawar, told The Express Tribune that the lack of proper dumping sites leaves residents with no option but to throw garbage into canals. "There is no dumping site in our area, so people have no other option. Whenever irrigation officials stop us from throwing waste into canals, we ask them where we should dump it, but there is no answer," noted Khan.
Khan added that many residents also contacted Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) but were told the area was outside its jurisdiction. "Local government institutions have also become ineffective after losing funds and completing their tenure without significant performance," criticized Khan.
According to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Irrigation Department data, the province has a canal network extending over 4,060 kilometres, of which around 2,030 kilometres are planned for desiltation and cleaning during the current fiscal year at an estimated cost of Rs441.27 million.
The report further stated that the overall Annual Maintenance and Repair (AM&R) requirement for irrigation infrastructure in 2025-26 has been estimated at Rs1.124 billion, including Rs900 million for maintenance activities and Rs224 million in outstanding liabilities from the previous year.
The Peshawar division received a significant share of canal maintenance funds, with Rs170 million allocated for the Peshawar Canal Division, Rs58 million for the Warsak Canals Division, Rs52 million for the Charsadda Irrigation Division, and Rs27 million for the Tube Well Irrigation Division in Peshawar.
Despite these allocations, canals in densely populated urban areas continue to accumulate large amounts of garbage and sewage. According to Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar, the city generates 700 to 1,000 tons of municipal waste daily, much of which remains uncollected and eventually ends up in drains and canals.
The provincial capital produces nearly 324,000 tons of solid waste annually. Areas including Hazar Khawani, Gulbahar, Board Bazaar, Yakatoot, and parts of the inner city have increasingly become hotspots where canals are used for dumping household waste, plastic material, and untreated sewage.
Executive Engineer of the Irrigation Department K-P, Shireen Khan Momand, while speaking to The Express Tribune, conceded that although the government had passed the law, its implementation remained weak.
"Irrigation inspectors identify individuals and factories polluting canals, but only the commissioner administration can punish violators. Weak coordination among government departments and the absence of the magistracy system have hindered effective implementation of the law," added Momand.