Although the city government has started many projects for improving city environment such as waste management to sanitation, however, more initiatives are needed in this regard.
“This goal can be achieved only with city residents’ cooperation and changes in the approach of civic authorities. There are significant overlapping interests among them. By identifying this common ground, the sanitation campaign can be strengthened, and city improvement project made more comprehensive,” says Ashiq Jafari from Gulzar-e-Quaid.
“Waste management requires the greatest amount of city residents’ co-operation to succeed. It is important that a more comprehensive approach to the ways in which civic authorities and the general public can co-operate be part of the re-thinking of Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC),” adds Ashiq.
“To achieve progress in waste collection in a distinctive way is impossible without cooperation from the residents of the city. RWMC cannot succeed unless it gains good level of city residents’ co-operation for city cleanliness,” says Shaista Zaidi from Fazal Town.
“Although the city government has been successful to some extent in the collection and disposal of city wastes but if a slice from the funds spent on this service is expended on the training of city residents regarding proper disposal of waste, things can improve much faster. City development projects that do not secure genuine city residents’ cooperation in the end fail to achieve their goals,” adds Shaista.
“Progress in basic sanitation and environmental improvement cannot be achieved without broadly-based co-operation of local authorities, businesses, and city residents,” says Mushtaq Hussain from Tajabad.
“Although the difficulties in the way of developing a civic culture that incorporates responsibility and participation in basic services are quite evident but to analyze and assess experiences in solid waste management in order to suggest course of action that will involve all the relevant actors in the city is the demand of the time,” adds Mushtaq.
Qurban Hussain from Dhoke Raja Muhammad Khan says: “The general values of responsibility-sharing and city residents’ cooperation need to be promoted in order to suggest how the city residents can be brought to bear on problem of sanitation and city cleanliness.”
“On the one hand, Pindiites should quit burden-shedding approach and must adopt responsibility-sharing method and extend some form of help to the RWMC. On the other hand, the RWMC should enable city residents to participate in keeping the city clean through proper disposal of waste and to develop their knowledge of, and concern about, environmental health,” says Shehla Raza, who lives in Faisal Town.
Jafar Hussain from Dhoke Hafiz says: “When we speak of responsibility-sharing and city residents co-operation, we have in mind a number of actions that might present solutions to the current cleanliness problem in several areas: an acceptance of preferred ways of gathering and depositing wastes by homes, shops, and businesses; waste reduction in daily living and efficient waste pick-up by the authorities; public awareness against littering and unlawful discarding of waste. These are all ways in which the assigned work of RWMC may be reduced and made more manageable.”
This hope for city residents and markets’ cooperation in dealing with mounting waste problems is not just a dream but can be achieved if city residents, municipal body, institutes, businesses corporations and shops, work together for environmental clean-up,” says Noor Hussain living in Shah Khalid Colony. “The city fathers must step out for urban environmental improvement by first developing a general idea of responsibility-sharing,” adds Noor.
