Pollution is not a non-issue

Tax cuts could be afforded to restaurants for disposing of their trash responsibly.

The current garbage disposal ‘system’ in Karachi is such that putting something into a trash can is equivalent to littering on the street.

I had grown accustomed to it and even stopped noticing it until a friend from Canada reminded me. She recounted that after carrying a Lays wrapper in her bag all day, she finally put it in a dustbin when she got home, only to find all the trash from inside her house on the side of the street the very next day.

“What is the point of not littering if it ends up on the street anyway,” she asked. Her frustration made me realise that our system has broken down to the extent that even those who haven’t polluted their entire lives are questioning if there is any point to it.

The situation seems alright in some areas of Karachi such as Defence, but in others, there are piles of garbage lying or even burning on the side of streets. The Korangi Expressway has an almost daily feature of tall columns of smoke chockfull of respiratory diseases just waiting to claim their next victim.

On the other hand, eating chaat out of disposable plates highlights another issue. At the end of your meal, the waiter will dutifully collect your used plates… and chuck them on the road even though there is a garbage bin nearby.  I know pollution seems like a non-issue considering the other problems our country faces, but it is the root of hygiene problems and provides a breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes – which carry a host of diseases. Karachi produces tons of garbage on a daily basis and a large amount of that refuse ends up on vacant plots.

I am terrified of what the future of this city holds, considering how little of the rubbish produced is disposed of properly and I fear that if something is not done about this, pollution will become a problem that we can no longer ignore.

Recycling is a regularly suggested solution, but that requires a proper system to be in place. So perhaps a better option would be the government incentivising people not to litter. One option would be to enable people to deposit certain items like paper or tin cans for cash, which the government or some private organisation could recycle later. Tax cuts could also be afforded to restaurants for keeping their surrounding area clear by disposing of their trash responsibly and fines imposed on restaurants using disposable dishes.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2014.