Solid Waste Management plans afoot for Eid

500,000 to 600,000 animals to be sacrificed this Eid, SWM officials formulate plan for proper waste disposal.

LAHORE: Solid waste production in the city is expected to increase from 6,500 tons per day to 12,000 tons per day in the last few days leading to Eid, said Standard Waste Management (SWM) Department officials. SWM officials say that the department has formulated a comprehensive plan to deal with the waste generated during Eid and that which collects in sacrificial animal markets.

An official said that there is also likely to be an increase in waste this year over the last year as it is expected that larger animals would be sold. He said that waste which is not picked up in a timely fashion would be a risk to health and the environment.

SWM district officer Rafique Jatoi told The Express Tribune that the SWM Department expected 500,000 to 600,000 animals to be sacrificed this Eid. He said that the SWM Department would maximise its resources and each waste management pick up team would make from 4 to 6 trips to sacrificial animals selling points.

Jatoi said the department would be challenged this season mainly due to the non-usage of the major road into the city and because of the increased sales of larger animals due to the economic conditions of the country.

He said that if the waste was not removed promptly then bacteria would develop, leading to diseases. He said his team would be working tirelessly, close to 12 hours a day, to deal with this issue.

In its Eid plan, the SWM Department intends to ensure zero waste during the last week leading up to Eid. The plan includes transporting waste generated from sacrificial animal markets to the city’s dumping grounds. Jatoi said that the SWM Department would hire 500 pick up trucks and have 150,000 plastic bags for waste disposal.

Officials complained that there was no landfill for the city and neither was there a national strategy in place to manage solid waste. This means, they say, that SWM Department has to depend on the provincial government for resources. They said that most foreign countries had constitutional mandate, which granted them institutional autonomy to pursue different methods and generate their own resources.

One official said, “We tend to underrate this aspect of our society compared to other societies.”

Jatoi said this Eid would only be successful if people worked along with the government to keep the city clean. He said that the way people are trained abroad to throw their wrappers and trash in proper garbage bins shows how effective public participation is in keeping a city clean.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2010.