LAHORE :Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) has turned the posh locality of Johar Town into waste dumping grounds by delaying lifting of municipal waste on the pretext that the waste included illegal dumping by nearby private housing societies, which are not making any payments in this regard. One can witness heaps of garbage dumped in empty plots of Johar Town R Block, situated between Shaukat Khanam Memorial Hospital, Shadiwal Village and several private housing societies. Local residents of Shadiwal village said that LWMC didn’t lift waste from the village so majority of villagers, residents of private societies and some big private schools, which are also situated nearby, throw their waste in these empty plots. Cleaning of this area is the responsibility of LWMC’s Turkish contractor Oz-Pak but unfortunately it failed to fulfill its contractual obligations. “We have placed containers in this vicinity but residents of private societies started throwing their waste in the bins so we removed them, said Oz-Pak General Manager Afzal Shah while talking with The News. “Lifting waste from Johar Town’s R Block is our responsibility but this waste is illegal so we didn’t lift it on our own,” he said, adding the company can lift illegal waste on special request of LWMC and so far no formal request had been made. Similarly, majority of private housing societies of the provincial metropolis are disposing of their garbage and solid waste in open, which also amounts to illegal dumping and is adding to pollution especially air and soil. One can find mounds of dirty plastic bags, filth and other garbage in open plots of residential and commercial areas of many private societies, which are also one of the main causes of blockage of drainage and sewer system. If the garbage is not lifted, it spreads in the area with air and starts decomposition resulting in increased air and soil pollution, environmentalists said, adding LWMC is solely responsible for all this mess and polluted atmosphere because as per rules the company has to lift and dispose of all the garbage from the city in a scientific manner but it is not doing enough while the waste is dumped on roads and empty plots. Environmental experts said scattered garbage on the city roads causes serious health problems. The stink and unhygienic atmosphere bothers commuters, especially pedestrians using footpaths along the roads. As garbage gets dried and changes into dust particles, it becomes a part of the air as speeding vehicles move it. People inhale these particles and fell victim to various diseases. Sources said around 8,000 ton solid waste is generated daily in Lahore while over 1,500 ton waste is generated in Lahore Cantt, Model Town, Defence and other private housing societies. Sources claim that out of this over 8,000 ton waste, 40 percent remains on the city roads due to various reasons whereas the other 1,500 tons of waste was disposed of in an improper way. LWMC’s senior manager Murtaza Ch said strict action will be taken against the company for this negligence. He said this is their responsibility and they should fulfill it.
