Treating garbage as someone else’s problem

Rawalpindi : How garbage is choking Rawalpindi city and playing havoc with its residents’ health is no secret. Without active participation of the city dwellers the city cannot be in cleaned up. Of course, we need to make stronger our institutions of service delivery, but all this is not going to work much if we, the city residents, treat this as someone else’s problem to solve for us.

“When we are made aware of the problem, we get preoccupied into apportioning blame and do not explore solutions based on what has worked in other cities and how they can be adapted or replicated. With politicians and bureaucrats as easy targets, we forget that the problem is as much due to our own lack of civic sense,” says Fakhr-e-Hajra from Mangraal Town.

Farwa Ali from Gillani Town says: “Garbage is a personal threat to all of us and the challenge will only become greater in future as more people move to the cities as urbanization and rising incomes bring changing lifestyles which usually means more waste.”

“Solid waste management needs to be planned and implemented alongside well-maintained drainage and sewerage networks and with the active participation of the city residents. But there is not an adequate realisation that we need connectivity to sewerage networks to ensure proper sanitary conditions for the city. Together we must address this challenge,” says Umm-ul-Aaima from Gulzar-e-Quaid.

“The garbage menace in the city is not limited to what meets the eye, that is, swelling garbage bins, rubbish piled on street corners sometimes left for days in open spaces to rot and pollute, and garbage scattered over storm water drains, says Nabeela Ali from Fazal Town Phase-II.

“Some localities have outsourced private agencies to take the waste to the community bins despite RWMC endeavors to implement door-to- door collection as most of the garbage bins are placed outside our homes. The closer the garbage bins, nearer the danger to our health,” says Eman Hussain from Chaklala Scheme-II.

“Garbage is left rotting in the open near SC employees’ colony, which breeds germs, and germs are not frightened by the boundary walls of our homes. The lack of adequate realization on the part of city dwellers as well as of the RWMC workers of the public health consequences of the deteriorating filth is hard to comprehend,” says Sadiq Hasan living near SC employees’ colony.

Sabahat Haider from Dhoke Hafiz says: “Many people do understand the connection between solid waste management and health in terms of the consequences of unattended heaps of garbage which become a home for flies and other vermin, but still they keep throwing waste.”

“The problem is compounded when garbage and street sweepings containing plastic are brushed into municipal storm water drains, choking the drainage system. It is therefore not enough to sweep the streets clean with brooms, but also ensure that the waste is not dumped into the drains, adds Sabahat.

“Yes, a special challenge is posed by plastic waste which has been swelling very quickly in the city. Plastic waste is growing with its increased use for packaging, shopping bags, industrial products and building materials,” says Shabbir Imam from Dhoke Lilyaal.

“Mohallah welfare associations can change mindsets of residents and discourage throwing of plastic waste on the streets and report cases of drains clogged with garbage. The civic body should supply to welfare associations a list of dos and don’ts which they can disseminate among its members,” adds Shabbir.