Garbage generation in commercial areas declines by 50%

Islamabad : The head of Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad’s (MCI) Sanitation Department has said that garbage generation in commercial areas of Islamabad had decreased by 40 to 50 per cent due to restricted mobility of residents amid the coronavirus restrictions.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the commercial areas in Islamabad were generating some 100 tonnes of trash daily which now came to 50 to 60 tonnes due to restricted movement of residents, MCI Director Sanitation Sardar Khan Zimri told this agency.

Citing the example of Karachi Company, which has been sealed by the district administration recently due to spike in coronavirus cases in sector G-9, he said before the lockdown, the market produced 10 to 15 tonnes of solid waste daily which had gone to nil almost in present days.

As per an estimate, our total garbage collection has also reduced from 600 tonnes to 500 tonnes due to selective lockdowns in the Federal Capital, he noted.

Zimri said more than 200 sanitary workers of MCI had been disengaged from the markets and deputed in villages where the garbage collection was being done intermittently before the pandemic.

“The situation provides us an ample opportunity to launch an aggressive cleanliness campaign in Islamabad’s urban and rural areas to ensure clean and green environment in the capital city,” he added.

Under the Clean and Green Islamabad Campaign , he said the attention was also being given to the cleansing of nullahs to avoid break out of any epidemic like Dengue and Malaria.

“Our teams have also been visiting different sectors on every weekend under the drive to sensitize the masses about cleanliness,” he added.

The director said door-to-door garbage collection in sealed areas of Islamabad had also been ensured with complete adherence to the SOPs (standard operating procedures).

Medical supplies like masks, sanitisers and hand gloves were also being provided to the sanitary workers to make sure their safety against the coronavirus, he said.