As the Capital Development Authority (CDA) procrastinates, Sector G/10, located right next to one of the oldest commercial centers in Islamabad, G-9 (Karachi Company), seeks the authority’s attention. People in the sector are suffering from a lack of basic facilities such as the sewerage system, water, sanitation, etc.
WATER SHORTAGE:There is just one tubewell in the sector and the water supply remains suspended all day. People living in the government flats are in miserable condition because of CDA’s negligence, Pakistan Today has learnt. “Water supply to our flats suspends at 8am and we cannot find even a drop of water until 11 pm,” said Muneer Ahamed, a resident of C Block flats situated in G/10-3. However, a youth, Ali, revealed that some residents had installed additional water tanks to store water.
FILTRATION PLANTS:Due to a lack of filtration plants, the G-10 residents, have to travel a long distance to fill their water tubs at the available plants. “We have to travel a long distance to find drinking water. Usually we use tubewell water for drinking despite the fact that it is not safe for health. Some of the residents have installed water filters in their houses, many use mineral water, while most residents cannot afford to have this facility and are forced to drink dirty water,” said Akhtar Javed, a G-10 resident.
Local inhabitants suggested that CDA install filtration plants in every sub-sector of G/10 on a priority basis. CDA sources told Pakistan Today that despite announcing plans to install filtration plants in Sector G/10, no development had been made so far. He said that CDA had decided to install 20 water filtration plants in various parts of the metropolis. He said out of the 33 filtration plants, 19 were installed in G-6/2,G-7/4,G8/1,G-9/2,G-9/3,G-11/2,G-10/3, G-6/1-2,G-6/1,G-7/3-1,G-7,G-8/2,G-11/3,G-10 and G-6.
CLEANLINESS ISSUE:Although the sanitary workers daily visit the area and collect garbage from each and every house, the residents are not satisfied with the performance of the CDA’s sanitation department. Though the residents got rid of the temporary landfill site built by the CDA, slackness of the sanitation department in collecting the garbage from trash trolleys has aggravated the miseries of the residents who are already facing a number of issues.
“Garbage lying outside the bins is enough to expose the conditions in which we are living,” said Hasan Ahmed, a resident of G/10. Sanitation has remained a sore issue in G/10 in the past due to the presence of a temporary landfill site which has been shifted now to a nearby area on Kashmir Highway. The CDA developed a temporary landfill site in Sector G/10 near the Islamabad High court but later shifted to another site on the court’s objection.
The CDA spokesman said that now the place where the landfill site was built has been cleaned and a number of trees have been planted to revive the beauty of the area. Apparently, the long term presence of the landfill site in the sector polluted the underground water of the area.
RECREATIONAL PLACES:Parks in sector G/10 have been converted into gardens full of weeds. According to the map of G/10 there are about 23 parks and playgrounds in the area but most of them are in a dilapidated condition. “CDA should play grounds and ensure provision of a friendly environment for in its parks,” said Hajra Amin, a resident of sector G/10-3. Amazingly, the parks in G/10-3 are comparatively better than in other sectors.
HEALTH: 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. Dispensary staff, seeking anonymity, said more than 100 patients visited the dispensary daily.
They claimed that the dispensary was making all-out efforts to provide treatment to the local residents and said that people from Meherabad and Golra also visited the dispensary. Patients complained there was no facility to inject drips and even in minor cases, the doctor present at the dispensary sent them to PIMS or Polyclinic.
ROADS AND BUILDINGS: The sector is mostly comprised of government residents. High rise government flats in the sector are in a ramshackle condition as the authorities are taking the matter lightly despite the fact that most of the buildings of the federal capital including the government flats have been declared vulnerable after the 2005 earthquake.
Talking to Pakistan Today, residents said that PWD, somehow renovate their flats every year whereas the flats of CDA have been seeking attention for the last many years but the city managers were paying no heed to the issue. Despite getting a handsome budget for the maintenance of roads, most of the roads in Sector G/10 need repairs. Due to a lack of utilization of funds, the directorate of roads and markets could not initiate maintenance work and ditches at several roads, adding to the miseries of commuters.
“Motorists find sudden jerks and jolts when their vehicles run into the ditches,” said a resident, Hussain Ali. “Drivers cannot see ditches at night and during the rain and meet accidents,” he said.
COMMERCIAL ISSUES: Encroachments have covered the G/10 markaz as most of the shopkeepers set up stalls outside their shops. “There is no space to walk in the market” says Naseem Anwar, a resident of G/10-1. Shoppers said that though the regular inspection carried out by the CDA, in the absence of strict enforcement things have only worsened.
Shopkeepers, however, complained that lack of public toilets have been annoying them. They said that CDA vowed many times to construct public toilets here but nothing has been done so far in this regard. They stressed the need to increase the security of the area. “The market is in dire need of security as many incidents of robbery have occurred” said Saleem Daud a shopkeeper. Local markets in sub-sectors of G/10 are also in need of regular patrolling by Islamabad Police. In June 2010, a gang of robbers looted the whole Khan Market-
EDUCATION:There are more than 10 public educational institutes in Sector G-10 where children living in the area are enrolled. People however expressed satisfaction over the education facilities in the sector.
