Waste disposal may not be an urgent requirement, but in the long run it is just as important. If waste is not disposed off properly, the day will come when our deaths will be a direct consequence of this. We sweep within and defile without. Do you not find it aberrant that a country having a nuclear programme has no effective waste management system? It is strange that we have not even begun to solve the problem of solid waste management which has to be one of our priorities. Solid waste, such as household garbage, industrial waste, commercial waste and waste from construction sites requires proper disposal.
The responsibility for providing facilities for proper waste management rests with civil authorities. However, it is up to the citizens to use the facilities provided. The World Bank published a report on SWM which pertains only to some cities and area of Punjab. One of the conclusions of the report was that at a national level, there is no comprehensive solid waste management guideline that addresses all important waste categories. An action plan with a concrete approach and allocation of financial and human resources is yet to be developed.
The report also said that, according to a rough estimate, the total household waste from just nine cities of Punjab was 10,000 tons per day, or 3.3 million tons per year. Presently, waste collection services in the nine cities of the Punjab are responsible for collecting between 40 per cent to 70 percent waste disposed. Only part of the waste collected is deposited in official facilities. The rest is simply dumped any where: in the street, in empty plots, drains and water courses.
There has to be a proper and environmentally friendly disposal of the rubbish collected. There is no properly designed and sanitary landfill .It is not as though solid waste management is a lost cause in all cities.
All it needs is planning and the will to make it work. Obviously, the other option is to do nothing and let the environment die out. It is upto us to make the right decision.
KOMAL ATA
Lahore
