Sector F/6, one of the posh and most populated areas of Islamabad, depicted a gloomy picture as far as prevention measures regarding dengue is concerned, reveals a survey. Sheer negligence on the part of the Capital Development Authority (CDA)’s departments concerned have threatened the lives of the dwellers of the said sector where one can find all the prevalence of the causes of dengue fever, with the situations in other neighbourhoods also not much different. During the visit, this scribe observed that sewerage water had accumulated outside all the hotels in Farooqia Market, which attracted the mosquitoes. Moreover, it was noticed that water was also leaking from the pipelines, which showed negligence towards replacing the old distribution system.
Talking to Pakistan Today the locals complained that crumbling sewerage system was resulting in stagnant water on the streets and markets of the area. “Poor sewerage and sanitation system poses threat to us but the CDA bosses seems uninterested in resolving the issue,” said Husnain Ali, a resident of F/6-1.
According to shopkeepers, the condition of the Farooqia Market, despite being the most frequented marketplace of the federal capital, remains poor throughout the year. “The CDA officials have failed to ensure cleanliness in the area despite the fact that their negligence can result in the dengue outbreak,” said Mughees Asghar, a hotel owner, while adding that the authority had also not conducted fumigation in the area to prevent the locals from dengue.
Another shopkeeper said they had filled some of the potholes and ditches on their own but it was not possible for them to clean the water from the market because it needed the permanent repair of pipelines. He said in the recent past, the CDA had promised to place the tiles in the market but they left the work incomplete some days.
In F/6-1 and F/6-4, there are some streets, which need the attention of the civic body as the condition there can only be described as worse and it is difficult even to walk in these streets.
“Narrow streets are for our convenience but it is impossible to visit these streets with car or motorbikes due to lack of maintenance,” said Saleem Tariq, a resident of the same locality.
There are government flats in Sector F/6 but the CDA has failed miserably to provide them clean drinking water. The inhabitants of these flats complained that they were getting contaminated water owing to which they had to bring water from the filtration plants, which was not an easy job.
On the other hand, a large number of foreigners have been residing in Sector F/6. “The CDA pays all their attention toward those areas which are frequented by the foreigners or VIP’s but always ignore the middle class,” alleged Amjad, a resident F/6-4.
Sector F/6-3 is a posh area where some famous business centres, including the Super Market and Kohsar Market, are located. Former governor Salmaan Taseer was also shot dead by his own guard in the same Kohsar Market.
Several embassies and their offices have also been established in Sector F/6-3. Here, all the roads are carpeted and parks fully maintained and clean. The CDA has also planted beautiful trees on the greenbelts in the sector.
One of the most famous slum areas of the federal capital, F/6 Kachi Abaadi, is also situated here. The residents of the slum are facing numerous problems but they are residing near the posh sector at a very low cost. “We have no facility of water, which is the biggest problem faced by us” said Javed Masih a resident of the locality. However, the CDA officials claimed that all these slum areas were illegal due to which they were reluctant to provide them legal cover or any other facility.