Sickening smell becomes the fate of Pindiites

Although the smell emitting from overflowing dustbins is a common sight in different areas of Rawalpindi but the Service Road running from the flying club up to Gulzar-e-Quaid is the worst hit.

“With mounds of garbage lying un-cleared, there is little space left for both motorists and pedestrians. At times, the mountain of garbage becomes so bigger that commuters using this road have to vie for space,” says Ashiq Hussain.

“The attitude of the people needs to change. The negative approach has come to stay on their psyche in recent times. A woman who keeps her house clean is often seen throwing garbage onto the street,” says Sofia Haider, a colony resident.

“Garbage vehicles litter this neighborhood, any time during the day and night. But what stands out like eyesores are roadsides and open drains loaded with waste material,” complains Fakhar Naqvi, a real estate dealer. “

“My shop is at a distance to the colony entrance but still I feel the stench is strong. Even though I am used to it, it can hit hard suddenly. Moreover, the closer you are to the mess, the stronger the smell,’’ says Kaleem Ali, an elderly retailer who runs a grocery shop.

“We can’t open the windows because of the intensely sickening smell. How can we accept to pay tax when they are playing with our health? Residents here are desperate,” says Hasan Alvi, a resident of Dhok Hafiz. “It’s like they are trying to kill us,” he adds.

“People, especially children, get very sick. What makes things worse is that the containers where we are supposed to dump rubbish overflow and garbage just lie around on the road. Residents have their refuse collected from their door daily, and the collector dumps it here,” says Rizwan Ali.

Aleena Manzar, who lives in the colony says, “The smell from the rotting garbage blows into her house which is always buzzing with flies. It is like a heavy, soiled blanket that smothers us each night.”

Qurban Ali, who owns a shop across the street from the entrance to Shah Khalid Colony says, “It burns our eyes. It closes our throat.”

“Stray animals dig into the black, stinking, thick mass. You cannot fail to see the polythene bags almost covering the rubbish; Pepsi half-sunk tin cans, broken bottles, rotting fruits, vegetables, disused shoes, paper lumps, and kitchen waste peeking out of the dense surface. There is an ooze of dirty juices also,” says Mohsin Ali.

Zafar Abbas, a resident of Dhok Hafiz, says, “Without footpaths, this stretch of service road has been converted into the public urinal. It is nauseating. Surrounding localities generate an alarming quantity of garbage every single day and the area is the worst hit with garbage. Overflowing sewage compounds the situation.”