Public hygiene: Animal remains litter city despite cleanliness drive

Citizens throw offal out on streets, public places

LAHORE: Animal remains littered several areas of the city during Eid holidays despite the efforts of the city district government Lahore (CDGL) and the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC).

The CDGL and the LWMC had initiated awareness campaigns about cleanliness ahead of Eidul Azha. Many citizens slaughtered sacrificial animals on roadsides or in streets in front of their houses, leaving blood, intestines and offal behind.



Remains of sacrificial animals were left on roadsides and thrown in drains, sewerage and in the canal. Rain in some parts of the city on Sunday further aggravated the situation. Talking to The Express Tribune, Manzoor, a citizen, said blaming the government for the stench would be unfair. “No government can keep a city clean if the citizens have such an irresponsible attitude towards cleanliness.”

Rehan Asghar, another citizen, said that the LWMC vehicles and staff had been collecting remains of sacrificial animals from across the city. “Lahoris who do not obey the basic teaching of Islam about cleanliness are to blame for the mess,” he said.

According to LWMC spokesman Jamil Khawar the company had deputed around 10,000 workers to maintain cleanliness in the city during Eid holidays.

Khawar said that the company had disposed of more than 40,000 tonnes of animal waste during the Eid holidays. “The operation was completed by 1,500 vehicles. The company received around 5,900 complaints from citizens on its helpline 1139,” he said.

“If citizens pay a little attention towards cleanliness and hygiene, the situation can be much better. The LWMC had distributed around 850,000 waste bags among citizens during its door-to-door campaign for collection of offal,” he said.



He said that animal remains were dumped at special dumping points in an environment-friendly manner and covered with soil and lime.

“The whole Eid operation was a team effort, which was monitored from the central control room established in the company’s head office through video link,” he said. “By Monday morning, the company will remove all waste from the city,” he said.

Bonus

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced 10 days’ salary as bonus for all LWMC employees.

The chief minister also appreciated the performance of Lahore Division Commissioner Abdullah Sumbal, DCO Captain (r) Muhammad Usman, LWMC Managing Director Khalid Majeed and his team for arrangements made for the disposal of sacrificial animals’ waste. “The 10-day salary cannot be a compensation for these dedicated workers who sacrificed their Eid holidays and helped ensure clean environment for Lahoris,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2015.