Solid waste disposal in Soan River

People living along both sides of Soan River in different housing schemes of Zone V of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) are at risk of inhaling polluted air and suffering from foul smell emanating continuously from putrefying filth and heaps of garbage being dumped in the river bed. 

Alarmingly, a piece of land falling within the ICT’s domain is being misused as a dumping site for municipal solid waste on daily basis. Moreover, the dumped material is not only narrowing the width of the river, hampering its natural flow but is also contaminating the river water. Flies and mosquitoes are breeding in abundance over the filth heaps causing diseases like dengue fever, malaria and diarrhoea. To make things worse, vultures, crows and other birds and animals also flock to the site and make the situation more horrible and hazardous for the the people living there. The dumping of municipal solid waste in rivers is in sheer violation of the guarantees enshrined in Articles 9 and 14 of the 1973 Constitution to the citizens of Pakistan. It is high time to implement the law in letter and spirit to safeguard human life from these hazards.