Daily Times

There is no denying the fact that solid waste management is a daunting and a mammoth task across the world. In Pakistan, with the exception of a few, most of the areas are still inundated with huge heaps of garbage alongside unpaved roads, railway tracks, canals, empty plots and temporary dumpsites. It results in various environmental, social and aesthetic issues. Rampant population explosion followed by inadequate management practices has left this issue untended to for decades.

The annual waste generation in Pakistan is 48 million tons,increasing over two percent every year. Presently, Karachi has an abominable scenario pertaining to waste. Lifting of 10 years of untended waste is a gargantuan task for concerned authorities, owing to insufficient manpower and resources. Hence, huge piles of solid waste, at various points, have become alarming not only for the environment but also for human health. The question that arises here: who is to be blamed for this imbroglio-government, private organisations, experts or the public? To be honest, no one is blame-free.

It is not sensible to merely reproach the government; there are other culprits for this prevailing menace. Our alma matersand experts of the field come up with innovative ideas of producing compost from organic waste or energy from waste by giving examples of developing countries without realising the actual scenario. This is the mainproblem that manifests the gap between market and institutions. The nature of the generated waste in Pakistan is not as in Turkey, Japan, Germany and other countries, whose case studies we often present in our syllabus and conferences. There is a dire need to manage things properly. Waste generated from households is not good for compost, owing to moisture content, and the same is applicable in case of energy.

To get desired results, we need to ensure segregation at the household level, but that also requires awareness. Firstly, different colour bins can be placed in commercial areas, mentioning category of waste, like organic for fruit and vegetables, and inorganic for plastic and metals. At second stage, residential areas can be targeted. This would generate revenue from organic waste in the form of fertiliser, and the rest may be sold as recyclables. The role of scavengers shouldn’t be ignored, as the recyclables they extract from waste is a source of livelihood for them.

Government along with concerned stakeholders must devise a mechanism to include them in a legal system, and provide them incentives, such as personal protective equipment and basic aid to avoid exposure to various hazardous things, owing to their contribution to environment and nature conservation. Remember, all the success stories of the developing world that we quote didn’t earn this status overnight. It’s a gradual process to become part of the culture.

The nature of the generated waste in Pakistan is not as in Turkey, Japan, Germany and other countries, whose case studies we often present in our syllabus and conferences

Moreover, government and concerned authorities always react haphazardly, without taking into account the real root causes; they seem to squander massive resources for nothing. Apart from obsolete legislation, lack of trained personnel, useless infrastructure and financial constraints, one of the major reasons of this conundrum is the lack of awareness amongst the people. Generally, the public is least bothered about their waste management, and they throw it in streets and on roadsides. On government level, apart from imparting education, fines must be imposed over the practice of dumping waste everywhere.

Considering this to be a burning issue, all stakeholders must be on board in order to reap the desired results. Institutions can update the syllabus accordingly from the primary level and sensitise and educate the upcoming generations. Experts from foreign and local universities can be invited to share solution-based ideas. Assignments, projects and dissertation must consider the burning issues and share pragmatic solutions with government and concerned authorities. This would fill the gap between market and institutions. Students must be engaged to create awareness and sensitise the masses about waste management and convince them to do segregation before collection. There are various small-scale projects already in place that can be expanded to a larger scale.

In a similar vein, mosques are a perfect place to sensitise the masses to harness fruitful results. During festive events like Eids, our mosques can play a great role to keep our cities clean. It’s all about the mindset. If we can spend a huge amount of money on sacrificial animals, why do we throw the remains and waste untended, and avoid using appropriate bags, which only cost peanuts? We have to change this mindset. This practice results in graveeffects on our environment, our surroundings and us. Concerned authorities are in full swing to manage waste, but it’s also our responsibility to help them and keep our surroundings clean.

On governmental level, huge resources and manpower are required for primary and secondary collection of waste; government is already spending billions in this regard but the desired results are not visible. One way to solve this problem is to provide incentives to the public. Secondary collection points can be established at proposed locations where waste is collected through machinery, and reward can be given with respect to weight or appropriate segregation. It will surely save the primary collection cost and ensure cleanliness. The pilot project may include low-income areas first, and can be expanded to the rest later.

Taking all of this in consideration, it is pertinent to mention that adequate waste management practices reap multiplebenefits by protecting environment and reducing health cost. Lo and behold, ignorance and complacency would only lead to unprecedented repercussions, as it becomes a part of our food chain. What goes around comes around. Plastic bags episodes, marine life and the amount of plastic consumed by fish are the most prominent examples. Therefore, there is a dire need for all stakeholders to join hands irrespective of their vested interests in order to save environment and conserve the nature for future generations. Let’s raise this slogan at every level: My waste, My responsibility.

The writer is a health safety and environment officer at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre