Garbage dumping site becomes a bane

RAWALPINDI:

Twenty-one days after a new garbage dumping site was established on three acres of land at the Sunday Bazaar in the middle of the city, cases of conjunctivitis, skin infections and itching have reportedly spread in adjacent densely populated areas.

Residents have urged the government and deputy commissioner to immediately conduct spraying operations in nearby localities to protect people from disease and also spray the waste heaps.

Social workers and human rights activists have appealed to Commissioner Amir Khattak and Deputy Commissioner Waqar Cheema, saying the establishment of a dumping site in a densely populated residential and commercial area has made life difficult for nearby residents.

They said citizens are unable to sleep at night due to the stench, while mosquitoes, flies, insects, rats and mongooses have multiplied around the garbage heaps.

Kites, crows and vultures are also seen in large numbers searching for food. According to them, eye infections have spread among children and women in nearby streets, causing redness and irritation, while skin itching has also been reported.

They demanded immediate spraying in all surrounding areas and called for relocating the dumping site outside the city. Citizen Action Committee said authorities had assured residents that the site would be shifted outside the city by Friday.