A remarkable improvement was witnessed during Eid days regarding the disposal of sacrificial animals’ waste and the credit goes to the Punjab government that put the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) on alert much earlier. Previously, the performance of the waste collection department was dismal as huge piles of heap and garbage used to be seen scattered on city streets and roads. During the government of former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar, it was a common view that trashes were found scattered in almost every nook and corner of the city. However, the situation is much better now as a special focus was made on the quick disposal of waste by implementing a comprehensive strategy. A special squad of vehicles was deputed to collect waste from city streets while for the collection of offal, 1.5 million waste bags were distributed among the masses. Due to these arrangements made by the LWMC, more than 58,000 tons of animal waste were disposed of during the three days of Eid-ul-Azha.
The LWMC also used digital technology to improve civic services as all cleanliness operations were monitored through a digital application to curtail the suffering of citizens. At a time when our big cities like Lahore and Karachi are being infected with heaps of garbage and citizens suffer a lot, any improvement in civic services needs to be appreciated. The issue of waste disposal is very troubling. According to WHO, three major cities of the country, like Lahore and Karachi, are already counted among the most polluted cities in the world. Already, air pollution is playing havoc with the health of citizens as cases of respiratory illness are increasing due to high volumes of poisonous particles in the atmosphere. Serious health concerns for the inhabitants due to toxic pollution include premature deaths, heart disease and respiratory problems among others. The Parliament needs to pass a clean air act covering all issues related to environmental degradation and its improvement.
At the same time, citizens need to cooperate with the waste disposal authorities. They should not throw garbage on the streets and open spaces. Rather they should dispose off it in containers installed by the company. Stringent action needs to be taken against those citizens who indulge in throwing garbage everywhere. Those citizens who help in the collection of household waste must be rewarded. They can be educated to collect household waste in categories like recyclable materials i.e., plastic, other metals, paper waste and vegetable, and fruit waste. This mutual arrangement will help resolve the issue more amicably.
