Residents of one of the oldest sectors in the capital, Sector I/9, are facing countless problems due to rising encroachments, poor sewerage system, dilapidated roads, dangling naked electricity wires and a lack of parking facilities around the I/9 markaz, while automobile workshops and countless industries set up in the area pose serious health threats.
INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION JEOPARDISES RESIDENTS’ HEALTH: Sector I/9 holds special significance not only for the capital, but across the country, because of its industrial contributions. The sector houses a number of private and public sector organisations’ offices, including Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), I/9 police station, railway station, dry port, National Savings Bank, Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC), and various public sector educational institutions, while the CDA weekly lunda bazaar is also held there every Tuesday. Besides a number of industrial units, automobile workshops have also been established in the jurisdiction.
While conducting a random survey about the mega problems in I/9, selected residents unanimously said water and air pollution were the biggest threats to the lives of residents of the area. “Pollution caused by the industrial units in Sector I/9 continues unchecked, under the nose of official monitoring departments, adding known and unknown hazards to health of the citizens. Unfortunately, the capital is facing growing environmental problems because of industries emitting pollution near residential areas; residents of Sector I/9 in particular are among the worst affected by industrial pollution,” they said.
Rapidly increasing industrial pollution is one of the major contributors to air and water pollution, resulting from ever-increasing chemicals and industrial emissions in I/9.
According to officials of the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) they are continuously receiving complains of residents regarding pollution caused by industrial estates. Pak-EPA asked owners of industrial units, particularly all steel melting furnaces in the Industrial Estate Islamabad, to install efficient devices to control pollution in the capital. However, they informed that a majority of the steel mills failed to install anti-pollution equipment, while those installed were either not working or were only partially effective.
Many plans were made to manage the pollution caused by the industrial units in Sector I/9. In 1993, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) developed a list of undesirable industrial plants, especially steel furnaces, working in the industrial estate of sectors I/9 and I/10. It encouraged them, especially steel furnaces, to shift to some other trade and an offer to not to charge the fees usually charged for that was made. A few units took up the offer and changed their businesses. The majority, however, refused and despite repeated meetings with the CDA and the Pak-EPA, continued to operate without taking proper actions for disposal of waste materials or installation of equipment to check emissions.
Around 500 factories in the industrial estates are polluting the air and water in Sector I/9. Of them, 204 are manufacturing units, including eight steel melting furnaces, 11 re-rolling mills, 25 flour mills, five oil and ghee mills, 31 marble cutting and polishing units and 23 metal working and engineering units, which either lack or have inadequate facilities for treatment of waste emissions.
ENCROACHMENTS CONSTRICT SPACE: In sub-markets, the encroached pavements have made it hard for visitors to walk the corridors, as dangling wires pose severe threat to life and property of traders and shoppers, alike. Besides the I/9 markaz, there are a number of sub-markets. The CDA weekly landa bazaar held in I/9-3 is beset by various other problems too, such as broken, makeshift stalls and footpaths, a ramshackle parking area, etc. The civic authorities have turned a blind eye to the dilapidated condition of these markets situated at the heart of the capital, and only a few yards away from their offices.
Talking to Pakistan Today, a number of visitors criticised the authorities concerned for not taking any action against the shopkeepers, who have encroached upon the corridors and footpaths.
SEWAGE SYSTEM DEPLORABLE: Ali Hassan, a shopper, complained about the bad sanitary conditions of the markets, where sewerage water keeps gushing out of drains and staining the clothes of visitors. “Each time I visit the market, I have to face a similar situation where huge puddles of stinking water obstruct the movement of visitors,” he said. The condition of marketplaces in the capital was worsening, making it almost impossible for visitors to breath amid the foul smell, he added.
CAR PARKING WOES: Car parking is another major problem the visitors are confronting, as they have to wait for longer periods to get a space to park their vehicles. “It takes a lot of time to roam around and find a place for parking,” said a motorist. He said the situation had gotten worse now, as some offices situated inside streets of I/9 had reserved huge spaces for their employees’ vehicles. “There should be a separate parking lot for vehicles of the employees of various offices, as they need the parking spaces for the whole day, as compared to the shoppers, who park hardly for an hour,” he said.
WATER AND POWER PROBLEMS HOUNDING CITIZENS: Residents also complained about scarcity of water and power. Facing an acute shortage of water, they are forced to hire private water tankers which charge Rs 600 to Rs 1,200. They blamed the officials deputed at the Water Tanker Inquiry Service in Sector I/9, as they failed to facilitate residents despite repeated complaints. Zeeshan Javed, a resident of I/10 said residents had registered complaints with Inquiry Services phone no. 9257304, but had not respond received any response. He added that people had privately got water sucker machines installed in their houses, which exacerbated the problem for those who relying on the routine supply of water by the CDA.
Health facilities in Sector G/10 are inadequate, owing to which the residents have to visit hospitals and dispensaries in nearby sectors, or PIMS. At present, there is only one dispensary in the whole sector which is ineffective owing to a shortage of staff. Patients complained that the facility in their sector lacked properly trained staff, as they did not even know how to inject drips, and even in minor cases, the doctor present at the dispensary sent them to PIMS or Polyclinic.
The sector mostly consists of private residences. However, a few government officials also reside in the sector. Government flats in the sector are in a ramshackle condition as authorities are taking the matter lightly despite the fact that most of the buildings of the capital, including the government flats, were declared vulnerable after the 2005 earthquake.
The roads are also in dilapidated condition. One of the most travelled road adjoining Sector 1/8 with Sector I/10 is badly broken, though patchwork has been done on it many times over. The road, starting from 7up chowk and ending at I/10, adjoining sectors F/10 and H/11, is used by heavy traffic at night.
