SHAFAQNA PAKISTAN (Shia News Agency)
The condition of waste management system from the collection of waste to its proper disposal is, to put it mildly, pathetic in Pakistan. Only 50% of solid waste quantities generated are collected by government services. However, for cities to be clean, at least 70% of these quantities should be collected. A number of municipalities have deployed sweepers for waste collection but the service is reported to be irregular and limited to prominent administrative or commercial areas. Citizens are not provided with enough rubbish bins. In fact, those bins can only be found along the main roads. Those who live further away prefer not to take the trouble: the majority of home waste ends up being thrown away on empty plots. Across the country, waste that requires special handling and treatment, from industrial effluent to hospital refuse, is often seen disposed of unsuitably, thus presenting a significant risk to public and environmental health. Shockingly, as revealed by the director-general of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, some 300 medical facilities in Islamabad do not incinerate their waste properly. Pakistan ignores this issue at its peril. Hospital waste is in particular very problematic as it can be contaminated and infectious. Further, the improper disposal of items such as syringes facilitates their re-use, which in turn accelerates the spread of diseases such as HIV/Aids and hepatitis C. The need of the hour is to revise the solid waste management law in Pakistan. The responsibilities of citizens, enterprises and the government must be clearly defined. After revision of legislature, the government must ensure proper monitoring, control and evaluation. Citizens, no matter how influential, should be punished for the violation of law and factories should be held accountable for the industrial waste they generate. Otherwise in the next few year almost 60% population of Pakistan would be suffering from serious diseases because of Waste.
pakistan.shafaqna.com
