KP govt asked to prioritise waste management in Abbottabad

ABBOTTABAD: Water & Sanitation Services Company Authority (WASSCA), Abbottabad has requested the provincial government to issue instructions to the Project Management Unit of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project (KPCIP) for the inclusion of Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) Abbottabad in the upcoming bidding process.

CEO WASSCA Rayyan Yousaf, in his letter to the secretary of the Local Government & Rural Development Department, stated that the commissioner Hazara Division had already prioritised the ISWM sub-project of KPCIP Abbottabad due to the urgent needs of the city.

Rayyan Yousaf further stated that following the judgment by the Peshawar High Court Abbottabad bench restraining WSSCA from disposing of solid waste at the only available dumping site located at Salhad, Abbottabad, he sought guidance leading to the ultimate resolution of the matter.

He argued that, as proposed by WSSCA, the earliest execution of the ISWM sub-project of KPCIP Abbottabad is the ultimate solution to the issue. For the ISWM component of KPCIP Abbottabad, 416-kanal land has been acquired for a purpose-built and engineered facility for Solid Waste Management in Abbottabad.

However, as informed by PMU-KPCIP, the ISWM sub-project of Abbottabad is not included in the upcoming bidding process, which is tentatively scheduled for the start of next year, he informed.

“If the same persists, then WSSCA won’t be able to defend the review application in the court, as WSSCA has already submitted its response to the court, mentioning that the project is going to be tendered at the earliest,” he maintained.

Meanwhile, the CEO of WASSCA, in another letter to the Local Government Department, stated that the provincial cabinet of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in its 78th meeting, had approved the extension of WASSCA’s jurisdiction to a further 23 village councils along with an additional cost of Rs254.963 million.

He requested the relevant department to take up the case with the finance department to resolve cleanliness issues in the best public interest.

The provincial cabinet, while referring to section 115 A of KP Local Government Act 2013, has extended WASSCA to 23 village councils of Abbottabad, which include Salhad 1, 2, 3; Mirpur 1, 2, 3; Sheikhulbandi 1, 2, 3; Jhangi 1; Banda Qazi 1, 2; Banda Phugwarian; Kakul; Nawansher Shamali; Nawansher Janobi; Baldheri 1, 2; Banda Pir Khan 1, 2; Bhandi Dhudan; and Dhamtore 1 & Dhamtore 2.