Pakistan: Haphazard dumping of solid waste causing environmental hazards in Sahiwal

Punjab [Pakistan], December 16 : For over two decades, the Sahiwal Metropolitan Corporation has been disposing of the city's solid waste near the Jhal Road Overhead Bridge on the banks of the Lower Bari Doab Canal (LBDC), Dawn reported.
Despite the city's transition to a metropolitan corporation in 2008, it still lacks a dedicated dumping site, and the Jhal Road area was chosen arbitrarily for waste disposal, without any legal procedures in place. As a result, approximately 140 tonnes of solid waste are discarded daily on both banks of the LBDC, covering a total area of 192 kanals on one side and 105 kanals on the other.
Riaz, the Chief Sanitary Officer of the Sahiwal Metropolitan Corporation, informed Dawn that about 10 million square feet of land near the Jhal Road Overhead Bridge has been filled with solid waste. The situation remains unaddressed despite the city receiving a significant PKR 1.8 billion boost from an Asian Development Bank (ADB) project aimed at improving civic services.
However, the establishment of a legal dumping site remains a distant goal. Asjad Khan, City Manager for the Punjab Intermediate City Improvement and Investment Program (PICIIP), confirmed that a site purchase for waste disposal is part of the ADB project, but it has yet to be executed.
The daily waste dumping has led to serious environmental and health issues. Residents in surrounding areas like Muhammadpura, Hazoori Bagh, and Bhutto Nagar have reported numerous health problems, including respiratory issues, skin diseases, and poor air quality. In addition, the occasional burning of solid waste worsens the already toxic air, making the situation even more hazardous for local communities, reported Dawn.
A public health official, speaking anonymously, explained that the long-term accumulation of waste attracts pests such as rats, flies, and mosquitoes, which can spread diseases like malaria, dengue, and leptospirosis. Furthermore, decomposing organic waste introduces harmful bacteria and pathogens that can contaminate local canal water and soil, posing further risks to public health. The situation has caught the attention of environmental experts and ADB officials.
Sources revealed that the ADB's social and environmental departments raised concerns about the site's environmental impact, particularly its role in damaging air quality. "They conveyed to the commissioner/head of divisional coordination committee that the existing site is creating environmental hazards and it is damaging the air quality index of the city," sources told Dawn.
Local resident Haji Mushtaq criticised the authorities for their lack of action regarding the health risks faced by residents in Jhal Road's slum areas. "The corporation and district/divisional administration show little interest in the health of poor citizens living in the slum areas of Jhal Road," he said, highlighting the neglect of the community's welfare.
Waqas Akram, a municipal officer, acknowledged the issue, admitting that the current site is unsuitable for waste disposal. The scale of the problem became evident during a recent joint inspection by officials from the municipal corporation, irrigation department, and revenue department, Dawn reported.
According to the inspection report, a stretch of land from RD 326 to RD 329 on the eastern side of the LBDC has been filled with 6,562,500 cubic feet of waste, while a similar stretch on the western side holds an additional 3,562,500 cubic feet of waste.
Sahiwal Commissioner Shoaib Iqbal confirmed that the corporation has identified a new landfill site near Bunga Hayat. However, he also acknowledged that land acquisition has been delayed due to litigation from local residents. "In the future, daily solid waste would not be disposed of near Jhal Road but at the new dumping site," he said.