Islamabad daily waste surpasses 600 tons

Author: APP

The Institute of Urbanism (IoU) held a town hall meeting in Islamabad to tackle the city’s 600-ton daily waste issue, bringing together community leaders and policymakers to promote sustainable, community-led waste management solutions.

A town hall meeting titled “Empowered Communities: A Town Hall on Waste Management Responsibilities,” co-hosted by Heinrich Böll Stiftung (hbs), brought together community representatives, policymakers, and CDA Sanitation Directorate staff to explore sustainable solutions for Islamabad’s growing waste issues, especially in Farash Town and I-10.

Islamabad generates about 600 tons of waste daily, with approximately 60% either openly burned or dumped in unmanaged sites. This poses significant risks to both environmental and public health. Only 15% of the waste is recycled, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced resource recovery and sustainability measures.

Dr. Ejaz Ahmad, Senior Program Fellow at IoU, outlined the national crisis, stating, “Around 48.5 million tons of solid waste is generated annually, with an annual growth rate of 2.4%. Major cities contribute significantly, yet only 60-70% of urban waste is collected. The lack of sanitary landfill sites, inconsistent data, and absence of formal source segregation are major challenges.” He emphasized the health impact, noting that waste contributes around 3% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions and leads to approximately 5 million cases of waste-related illnesses and deaths each year.

Share
Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

  • Cartoons

TODAY’S CARTOON

10 mins ago
  • Editorial

Lettergate!

From one letter to the next. Former prime minister Imran Khan's tale of history-making ouster…

10 mins ago
  • Editorial

Urgent Attention

The UAE, China, Saudi Arabia and now, Qatar. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is on board…

10 mins ago
  • Op-Ed

FM Aurangzeb Misleads Wilson Center

In a recent address at the Wilson Center, Pakistan's Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb painted an…

11 mins ago
  • Op-Ed

Digging Deeper: Debunking Mineral Policy – III

Institutional framework gaps: Pakistan's National Mineral Policy (NMP) 2013 aimed to forge a comprehensive institutional…

11 mins ago
  • Op-Ed

Recharge Pakistan through Green Banking

The Indus Waters Treaty, signed on September 19, 1960, is an agreement between India and…

22 mins ago