Residents of North Nazimabad staged a protest on Sunday over a pile of garbage lying outside the Asghar Ali Shah stadium.
"I don't understand why the administration has established a garbage dumping point so close to a residential area," remarked Urban Resources Centre director Zahid Farooq, who is a resident in the area. "Most of the area's hospitals also dump their medical waste here and you can often see dogs dragging around body parts." He demanded that the district administration close the garbage transfer station point.
Moosa, another resident, said that a foul smell permeates the surroundings, adding that residents were at risk of catching diseases because of the unhygienic environment they were forced to live in. "Every night, unknown people burn this garbage as well," he said.
According to environmentalist Qazi Athar, burning garbage leads to the emission of carcinogens, which can pose serious threats to people, especially if done near schools and homes. "Those who live near sewerage drains and inhale the fumes of burning garbage are being exposed to the risk of cancer," he said. "The authorities should maintain proper incineration equipment so that this waste can be used to generate power instead."
The city generates more than 15,000 tons of garbage on a daily basis. Due to insufficient resources, however, much of this cannot be disposed off in the designated landfill sites and is either burnt or left to accumulate and decompose in drains and empty plots across the metropolis.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 10th, 2014.
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