Lahore: Looking to be cleaned City

[LahoreEstate]

Without cleanliness, Punjab’s capital may be only half as attractive as its people and places suggest it should be. —FILE PHOTO

A CITY is known for its looks. The cleaner the look, the easier it is for the city’s places and people to attract attention. But this is not the only reason for a city to look clean. Clean cities are also known to have healthy residents.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s instructions to create solid waste management units in all the cities in Punjab should therefore be warmly welcomed. His desire for Lahore to emulate the Iranian city of Mash’had as a model of cleanliness is also a well-directed nudge for city officials. But look at the ground realities. For a population of more than seven million, Lahore has only 8,000 solid waste management officials and only a few of them are trained for the job. The number of cleanliness staff and level of its expertise are much higher in Mash’had, with only 2.5 million people. Lahore also does not have a scientifically developed, environment-friendly site to dump the solid waste that is daily swept off its streets and bazaars. The three current sites provide no protection against dangerous waste materials seeping into ground water, nor do they have arrangements for ensuring waste disposal in a way that it does not become hazardous for those living close to these sites. In fact, a recent official survey in localities near one of these sites has shown abnormally high incidence of respiratory and abdominal diseases there.

Isn’t it unfortunate for Lahore that this improper waste dumping is taking place because procedural and financial problems are delaying the acquiring of a site earmarked for a proper landfill? Besides improving the strength and technical know-how of the solid waste management officials in Lahore, Shahbaz Sharif should step in to cut the red-tape involved in the development of this landfill. This one step alone can bring Lahore closer to Mash’had in terms of cleanliness. Without it, Punjab’s capital may be only half as attractive as its people and places suggest it should be

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn...lean-ha-04