Pakistan

Of travel and trash: Less a road, more a dumping site

Two dumping sites including an officially designated one along Khanna Road posing health risks.

Kashif Abbasi January 24, 2014

Encroachers on the green belt near Khanna Pul on the Islamabad Expressway give the area the look of a dumping ground. PHOTO: FILE

RAWALPINDI:

One cannot drive by Khanna Road with one’s windows rolled down as the road itself has become a dumping ground for the nearby localities. There is one officially designated dumping site along the road for the residents of the Potohar Town but others in the vicinity are also making use of it and resultantly litter is seen strewn along the length of the road.

Pedestrians, motorists, and above all the residents of Sadiqabad locality living astride the road are suffering. Like every other town, the District Government of the garrison city seems to have no answer to this problem.

Small garbage heaps could be seen all along the road however, two main dumping sites — one near Haji Chowk and the other close to Jinnah Camp (Jelabi Chowk) speak volumes about the inefficiency of the garbage collection department of the government.

The garbage sites have narrowed the road and as a result traffic flow suffers.

Scavengers, stray dogs and cats roam the road particularly at the Jinnah Camp’s site. Interestingly, this is an official garbage site for the Potohar Town.

The garbage is not only creating health risk for the resident but also badly affecting the sewage system as the garbage has caused to choke the major drainage line.

The solid waste may spread diseases. We are worried about the mounds of garbage around here,” said Nasreen Rao, a housewife.

Solid Waste Management Executive District Officer Dr Mazhar while agreeing about the existence of problem said “true that the garbage site near the Jinnah Camp is creating problem for residents and motorists but this is an official garbage site for the Potohar Town. Our vehicles regularly transport garbage to the landfill sites.” He said that not only the resident of the Potohar Town, others from the adjacent areas are also using this site and as a result the garbage spills over to the road.

He said that efforts were underway to shift this site to some far off place.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2014.