CDGL contributes to environment pollution
March 15, 2008
LAHORE
THE Solid Waste Management Department of the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) is heavily contributing to polluting the environment of the provincial capital, one way or the other.
As per the figures collected from SWM sources, around 6,000 ton solid waste is generated daily in Lahore while over 500 ton garbage is produced by the Lahore Cantonment Board, Model Town Society, Defence Housing Society and other areas. They said out of over 6,000 tons, 35 per cent waste remained on the roads due to various reasons, including a poor lifting capacity of the SWM, lack of proper training of the staff for lifting garbage and absenteeism.
Following the poor garbage lifting capacity of the SWM, heaps of scattered waste, garbage and rising dust have become a permanent feature of the city. The SWM Department is supposed to lift garbage and solid waste from the city and dispose it of at landfill sites in a proper and scientific manner. Unfortunately, the CDGL did not have any proper and scientific landfill site. There are three landfill sites in the city and none of them is operating scientifically, seriously affecting the quality of underground water, air and health of people in the adjoining areas. The landfill sites are situated at Mehmood Booti, Kahna Kacha and the Saggian Bridge and the SWM staff has been dumping almost every kind of waste, including hospital waste, at the three sites for the last many years.
A senior SWM official, seeking anonymity, said none of the three sites was environment friendly and disposing of waste against the basic concept of landfill sites. He said the open dumping of waste was hazardous for the environment and human health and there was an urgent need to adopt scientific approach for it. He said none of the three sites had any liners (sheets of plastics laid in soil to stop chemicals from going into groundwater) due to which chemicals from discarded items, such as batteries, paints and cleaners, could leach directly into the underground aquifers used for drinking water.
The Punjab Environmental Protection Department (EPD) recently conducted a survey in the areas adjacent to the landfill site of Mehmood Booti, which revealed that almost every third person in a family was suffering from respiratory, abdominal, stomach or other diseases.
Besides, SWM workers are not properly trained to lift solid waste and garbage from the city and one can see the SWM staff busy burning garbage in or out of skips. Another reason which gives a dirty look to the city is the open dumping of garbage on the roads and skips in different areas. One can see garbage dumps even outside SWM skips across the city. Scavengers, beggars and addicts also search garbage.
A majority of the roads are no exception to the phenomenon and garbage heaps can be seen on the Ferozpur Road, the Multan Road, the Jail Road, The Mall, the GT Road and the Circular Road. The roads are also not cleaned properly and one can see used shopping bags and other garbage flying everywhere when a heavy wind blows.
The absence of sanitary workers from their work is also one of the main causes behind a dirty look of the city. Sources said a majority of sanitary workers left after marking their presence. Besides private jobs, they also perform different kinds of jobs at the residences of senior CDGL officials.
District Officer (Operations) SWM Dr Tufail Siddiqui said the department was making an all-out effort to make the city neat and clean. He said municipal services were interlinked with each other, so the SWM could not be held responsible for the situation. “Encroachments are also responsible for generating a huge amount of garbage and removing the encroachments is the job of towns and the CDGL,” he added.
He said the traffic police had already been directed to stop the movement of open trucks and trolleys carrying mud and sand but the vehicles were seen moving fearlessly in every area. He said cattle in the provincial metropolis had been banned but still a large number of them were being kept in the city. “Cooperation of people is necessary for keeping the city clean,” he said and urged people to avoid throwing garbage outside the skips.
To a question about the burning of garbage, he said the department had taken strict action against the officials and workers involved in the practice. He said in majority cases, gardeners, scavengers, addicts and beggars had burnt garbage.
He said the department had planned to construct 100 skips across the city and 15 of them had already been constructed. He said the proposal of a scientific landfill site was also under consideration. “Besides, the department has introduced a double shift for lifting garbage,” he added.
THE Solid Waste Management Department of the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) is heavily contributing to polluting the environment of the provincial capital, one way or the other.
As per the figures collected from SWM sources, around 6,000 ton solid waste is generated daily in Lahore while over 500 ton garbage is produced by the Lahore Cantonment Board, Model Town Society, Defence Housing Society and other areas. They said out of over 6,000 tons, 35 per cent waste remained on the roads due to various reasons, including a poor lifting capacity of the SWM, lack of proper training of the staff for lifting garbage and absenteeism.
Following the poor garbage lifting capacity of the SWM, heaps of scattered waste, garbage and rising dust have become a permanent feature of the city. The SWM Department is supposed to lift garbage and solid waste from the city and dispose it of at landfill sites in a proper and scientific manner. Unfortunately, the CDGL did not have any proper and scientific landfill site. There are three landfill sites in the city and none of them is operating scientifically, seriously affecting the quality of underground water, air and health of people in the adjoining areas. The landfill sites are situated at Mehmood Booti, Kahna Kacha and the Saggian Bridge and the SWM staff has been dumping almost every kind of waste, including hospital waste, at the three sites for the last many years.
A senior SWM official, seeking anonymity, said none of the three sites was environment friendly and disposing of waste against the basic concept of landfill sites. He said the open dumping of waste was hazardous for the environment and human health and there was an urgent need to adopt scientific approach for it. He said none of the three sites had any liners (sheets of plastics laid in soil to stop chemicals from going into groundwater) due to which chemicals from discarded items, such as batteries, paints and cleaners, could leach directly into the underground aquifers used for drinking water.
The Punjab Environmental Protection Department (EPD) recently conducted a survey in the areas adjacent to the landfill site of Mehmood Booti, which revealed that almost every third person in a family was suffering from respiratory, abdominal, stomach or other diseases.
Besides, SWM workers are not properly trained to lift solid waste and garbage from the city and one can see the SWM staff busy burning garbage in or out of skips. Another reason which gives a dirty look to the city is the open dumping of garbage on the roads and skips in different areas. One can see garbage dumps even outside SWM skips across the city. Scavengers, beggars and addicts also search garbage.
A majority of the roads are no exception to the phenomenon and garbage heaps can be seen on the Ferozpur Road, the Multan Road, the Jail Road, The Mall, the GT Road and the Circular Road. The roads are also not cleaned properly and one can see used shopping bags and other garbage flying everywhere when a heavy wind blows.
The absence of sanitary workers from their work is also one of the main causes behind a dirty look of the city. Sources said a majority of sanitary workers left after marking their presence. Besides private jobs, they also perform different kinds of jobs at the residences of senior CDGL officials.
District Officer (Operations) SWM Dr Tufail Siddiqui said the department was making an all-out effort to make the city neat and clean. He said municipal services were interlinked with each other, so the SWM could not be held responsible for the situation. “Encroachments are also responsible for generating a huge amount of garbage and removing the encroachments is the job of towns and the CDGL,” he added.
He said the traffic police had already been directed to stop the movement of open trucks and trolleys carrying mud and sand but the vehicles were seen moving fearlessly in every area. He said cattle in the provincial metropolis had been banned but still a large number of them were being kept in the city. “Cooperation of people is necessary for keeping the city clean,” he said and urged people to avoid throwing garbage outside the skips.
To a question about the burning of garbage, he said the department had taken strict action against the officials and workers involved in the practice. He said in majority cases, gardeners, scavengers, addicts and beggars had burnt garbage.
He said the department had planned to construct 100 skips across the city and 15 of them had already been constructed. He said the proposal of a scientific landfill site was also under consideration. “Besides, the department has introduced a double shift for lifting garbage,” he added.
