1,535 tons of solid waste generated daily in Islamabad

Islamabad : The issue of solid waste management is turning from bad to worse as a total of 1,535 tons of solid waste is now being generated per day in Islamabad having a population of 2,600,000

The official record showed that the waste-lifting capacity of the civic agency is around 650 tons per day while a substantial portion is being managed by private contractors in housing societies and rural areas.

The civic agency is also trying to enhance coordination with the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company but it is now demanding a very high rate of Rs.1800 per ton to dispose of the waste of Islamabad.

The officials of the civic agency have recently visited two potential sites at Kuri and Dhoke Jando near Nicholson’s Monument. The details of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and the clearance certificates for the sites are being evaluated at the moment.

The Islamabad High Court in its orders of August 12, 2022, and November 03, 2022, had instructed, inter alia, for the development of a sustainable waste management plan for the city along with the development of a scheme for the final disposal of the waste generated. In compliance thereof, CDA had already started working on multiple fronts including the following: (i) declaration of emergency for immediate transport of solid waste from waste transfer stations at I-11/4 in the ICT area to Losar, Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) dumping site in compliance of court orders to stop waste disposal in I-12 from October 4, 2022.

When contacted, an official said, “Islamabad will soon have its first-ever landfill site for waste management. The CDA Board has recently held a detailed meeting and decided to initiate work to resolve longstanding issue of solid waste management.”