Islamabad: Waste management in Pakistan’s major cities is reportedly in crisis, as both Islamabad and Karachi struggle to maintain cleanliness, Dawn reported. Streets, roads and open spaces across urban and rural areas are littered with garbage, leaving residents exposed to foul odours, dust and toxic air. In Islamabad, rural areas have been particularly neglected. With no formal system in place, residents dispose of garbage in nullahs and open grounds. “Secondary collection by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) is irregular and rural waste management contracts that expired a year ago have not been renewed, leaving services inconsistent. Urban areas receive temporary coverage through CDA staff, ex-contractor workers and machinery, but repeated efforts to outsource waste management across the city were cancelled several times this year”, Dawn said.
In Karachi, waste collection remains a major challenge across both formal and informal settlements. Overflowing bins, unattended garbage along main roads and open dumping along riverbanks and nullahs have created health and environmental hazards. Residents of areas near the Malir River in Karachi reportedly endure stench, dust and toxic gases, with air pollution and unhygienic conditions disrupting daily life and increasing disease risks. In both cities, large number of birds and flies circle dump sites, adding to the unsanitary conditions. Citing World Health Organisation and UN-Habitat guidelines, Dawn noted that transfer stations should only provide temporary, covered storage of waste. Without sealed containers or proper facilities, these sites effectively become dumping grounds, threatening public health and urban living in Pakistan’s two major cities.
Residents of Defence View and surrounding neighbourhoods, students from nearby educational institutions and thousands of commuters using the Shaheed-i-Millat Expressway are facing severe discomfort due to garbage dumped along the Malir riverbank. The waste, collected from across District East, emits a persistent stench and releases dust and toxic gases into the surrounding area. Pakistan’s major cities reveal a total collapse in waste management. Islamabad’s rural areas and Karachi’s urban settlements suffer from uncollected garbage, open dumping and overflowing bins, creating toxic, unhygienic environments. Failed contracts, inconsistent services and inadequate infrastructure show that authorities have been unable to maintain basic sanitation. The situation exposes residents to severe health risks, highlighting that Pakistan has utterly failed to manage urban waste, putting public health and city life in grave jeopardy.
Locals complained that a facility meant to be on the city’s outskirts has instead been placed near housing areas, creating problems at the entrance to Defence Housing Authority and nearby localities. Residents said that as people enter the district, they are immediately met with an overwhelming stench, while birds circle the garbage heaps, adding to what they described as an unhygienic environment. Residents and students shared their experiences of daily discomfort. A Defence View Phase II resident said her family was facing multiple health issues, adding that the impact on her mother’s respiratory health had been severe.
Another passer-by said people chose to live in upscale areas expecting cleaner surroundings, but the stench and pollution undermined that expectation. “But when one enters the district and is immediately hit by a stench and pollution, the whole idea of living here seems pointless. The difference between affluent and ordinary areas disappears”, he said. Students from a private university located opposite the transfer station said daily garbage movement worsened the city’s already poor air quality. “This is totally unfair,” one student said. They also recalled that smoke from burning garbage had previously filled classrooms and the campus, causing health issues. Shopkeepers in the area said the smell and pollution attracted flies over food items, raising serious hygiene concerns.
(With Inputs from ANI)
