Keeping it clean: WSSP to launch doorstep garbage collection project

Policy to prevent garage accumulation on roads to be devised.

PESHAWAR: The Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) is planning to devise a policy to prevent garbage accumulation on the city’s roads. It also has plans to launch a pilot project of doorstep garbage collection.

Addressing a Board of Directors (BoD) meeting on Thursday, Khalid Masood, the board’s chairman, said, “A doorstep garbage collection system will be initiated in one union council as a test run. If it turns out to be successful, we will extend it to the rest of the city.”

Under the project, WSSP workers will go door to door collecting waste from houses in the chosen union council.

The meeting was attended by WSSP CEO Muhammad Naeem Khan.

The chairman asked WSSP to prepare a detailed policy on measures that can be implemented to avoid the accumulation of garbage on main roads and streets to not only ensure cleanliness but also avoid the spread of communicable diseases.

“Mechanical sweeping machines should be introduced in the inner city to ensure proper cleaning with minimum supervision and use of resources,” said Masood.

Regarding the company’s plans of supplying drinking water from Warsak and Munda Dam, the chairman urged officials to remain in close contact with the relevant government department.

“All stakeholders must be briefed about the Jabba Dam project in Khyber Agency and necessary coordination should also be done with government departments to ensure the project is included in the Annual Development Programme,” he added.

Addressing the meeting, WSSP CEO Khan said a phase-wise cleanliness campaign is in progress. “All old garbage dumps will be cleaned up during the drive.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2015.