The destruction of the Margallas

The CDA has declared the beautiful Margallas a dumping ground for filth accumulated in the city.

ISLAMABAD:

The Margallas are the jewel of “Islamabad the Beautiful” and the source of clean air for its residents. Sadly, a curse has befallen this city.

This catastrophe is the act of the so-called environment-friendly Capital Development Authority (CDA), which has always boasted of a clean and green Islamabad.

Ironically, the civic agency has declared the beautiful Margallas a dumping ground for filth accumulated in the city.

The scale of this horrendous act can only be assessed once you see it with your eyes. Dozens of CDA trucks are dumping filth daily in the heart of the Margallas.



This is causing disastrous effects not only on the environment but also on people’s health.

This is just the beginning of the destruction of the capital’s environment and the health of the people living in this city. Just ask those who live at or around Ground Zero, opposite Sector D-12/3.

Passersby would wonder where the stink is emanating from when the wind blows from West to East or from North to South.

It is time to wake up and save the Margallas from the savagery of the civic agency. The area has become a breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes, putting the health of residents at risk.

Eidul Azha is around the corner. The remains of sacrificial animals gathered from across the city will be dumped in the area, by which time it will be too late for us to break this vicious cycle. As usual, our rulers have turned a blind eye to the situation.



On the one hand, the CDA is advertising plots in sectors D-12 and E-12, from whose sale they are expecting to generate millions. On the other hand, they are discouraging people to come and invest in this area by converting it into a filthy cesspool.

People have spent millions on the construction of houses and therefore deserve a clean and healthy living environment.

We have to identify this common enemy of nature before it is too late. Let us join hands to save the Margallas and our beautiful city from deterioration.

The writer can be reached at [e-mail]

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2013.