Ever increasing garbage makes life in Karachi miserable

KARACHI: Despite being Pakistan’s largest city and economic hub, Karachi currently looks like a large garbage dump with collapsing infrastructure and rough roads with stagnate sewerage water.

The city’s two largest political parties, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) which presides over the current provincial government in Sindh and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) but both of them remained busy shifting blame for political gains, instead of own the problems of the mega city.

During survey Daily Times learnt that Karachiites facing dilemma in the form of stagnate sewerage water and heaps of garbage, mostly in the middle and lower income areas including ManghoPir, Surjani Town, North Karachi, Sohrab Goth, Garden, Lyari, Shah Faisal Colony, Malir , Landhi and Kornagi. The garbage mounds and collapsed infrastructure of sewerage have been largely ignored in these areas.

Provincial government has invested by importing garbage collecting machines from China Rs 2 billion contract with a Chinese company, Changyi Kangjie Sanitation Engineering Company Limited, to process waste in the city. The first batch machines including showers to clean trees, mechanical sweepers and street-washing vehicles which are not enough for the whole city.

“Now people are adapting with such conditions because it has been several months and neither the government is taking it serious nor planning to get rid of the situation for the betterment of city”, said Umair Alvi, resident of Surjani Town.

One senior citizen, Abdul Quddos, recalled that during his youth the city roads would be washed by the municipal authorities. “But now whenever I mention this to the younger generation they do not believe”, he lamented.

This environment is killing us, Abdul Quddos said adding that the government has made lives miserable.

Syed Qaiser Mehmood, social activist, said that quality of life has gone down drastically in Karachi. Apart from many common waterborne diseases such as dysentery and rash being widespread here, a large number of people have been suffering from chikungunya, allergy, asthma due to mounds of trash, which are found routinely on footpaths near markets and commercial areas. Sewerage and rainwater drainage system is completely clogged with trash, plastics, effluents from commercial areas and industries.

Dr. Waqar Ahmed, Assistant Professor, Institute of Environmental Studies Karachi University viewed that the government does not treat waste management in systematic manner. Karachiites are in lack of garbage disposal facilities which is being thrown at open spaces instead of proper dumping at designated locations, resultantly the waste is either rots in neighborhoods or is burnt, which in turn creates a serious health problems for the residents.

Syed Usman, a resident of Malir, told that amongst the many tragedies that have afflicted Karachi over the decades such as crime, terrorism and urban disfigurement, the city’s solid waste problem at large scale is affected the people most.

Political parties cleanliness campaigns have proved nothing more than photo shoots as the volume of garbage continued to multiply. Several areas already lack proper facilities for the collection and lifting of garbage resulting in unsanitary conditions quite visible in almost all the localities of each town.

Furqan Ahmed, a resident of Korangi, said that Chairman DMC Korangi and Vice Chairman launched “Safai Mohim” (cleanliness campaign) but it confined to only photo shoot as no practical steps have been taken yet. Korangi people are suffering and compelled to spend life with stagnate sewerage water and stink of litter, he added

Citizens call for proper planning for management of solid waste including awareness creation among masses. The problem demands concrete steps to get it resolved instead of cosmetic measures taken by local government officials.

Waseem Akhter, Mayor of Karachi, when questioned said that the he was doing his best within available resources. The city needs a permanent waste-management system, he noted.