Animals’ remains: Birds near Benazir Bhutto airport pose threat to planes

Remains of sacrificial animals dumped near Benazir Bhutto International Airport attract scavenging birds.

RAWALPINDI:

A large number of scavenger birds hovering over carcasses and remains of sacrificial animals dumped near the red zone area of Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) may disrupt air traffic.

Birds pose a safety threat to airplanes, especially during landing and take-off. When birds strike an aircraft travelling at high speed, the impact can sometimes be dangerous.

Despite Pakistan Air Force (PAF) awareness campaign before Eid, the locals as well as the municipal staff of the Rawalpindi city could not ensure quick and safe disposal of the remains of the sacrificial animals in the vicinity of Chaklala.

“The scavenging birds could be seen flying over the red zone area. They could disrupt air traffic,” said a PAF official. Legal adviser of the Civil Aviation Authority Obaidur Rehman said that the odd situation was posing a serious threat to the air traffic.

One day before Eidul Azha, Deputy Coordination Officer Rawalpindi Saqib Zafar said that people living near and around the airport had been asked not to throw remains of sacrificial animals in the vicinity. “They were told that the carcasses would attract birds and they needed to be extra careful,” he said.

He had said that enough measures have been taken to ensure cleanliness on Eid. Municipal staff will remain alert with waste transfer vehicles and remains will be taken to distant areas for disposal, he said. But the vacant plots at the Airport Housing Society and Gulzar-i-Quaid were not only used to slaughter animals but were then also turned into dumping sites.

DCO Saqib Zafar however was not available to comment on the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2011.