Capital Development Authority Collects Tons Of Waste From Recreational Spots

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is collecting tons of trash from different areas of the city left by the citizens during Independence Day celebrations.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Aug, 2018 ) :The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is collecting tons of trash from different areas of the city left by the citizens during Independence Day celebrations.

The Federal capital's parks, grounds and other recreational spots witnessed huge influx of visitors from different parts of the country on Tuesday to mark the Independence Day, who left heaps of garbage instead of exhibiting responsibility to keep the city clean.

CDA's Director Sanitation Sardar Khan Zimri informed APP on Wednesday that some 200 sanitary workers had been assigned to collect over 10 tons of trash from the city."The garbage from all the recreational spots of Islamabad will be removed by Wednesday night," he claimed.

He, however, admitted the need of placing more dustbins at the recreational spots and city areas. At the same time citizens should also have shown responsibility to use the available dustbins properly instead of throwing the trash anywhere at their own will, he stressed.

He said the CDA lacked financial resources to arrange more bins and initiate a public awareness campaign for keeping the city clean. Regrettably, "only 20 percent people care about cleanliness," he added.

"There is a dire need to employ short-term punitive measures and evolve massive campaigns against anti-littering by the civic agency," said Tassadaq Malik, Managing Director of SMEC, an international oil and gas company.

Tasadaq, who is voluntarily working on different projects - from cleanliness to tree plantation drives - in Islamabad, said nobody cared to use the waste bins, and this occasion must be taken as an opportunity to educate the people to avoid littering and instead keep their localities tidy, which showed 'real patriotism'.

He also suggested imposition of fines on littering to make people realize their responsibility towards cleanliness.

Qaiser Shehzad, a visitor at Lake View Park, said the people should keep the recreational spots clean like their homes and for that purpose public awareness campaigns should be launched. Every stakeholder, including government departments, civil society, teachers and students, should come forward and sensitize citizens about their prime responsibility of keeping their surroundings clean.

Dr Qasim Raza, a health expert warned that if garbage was not removed from public places timely, it could spread viral diseases, including Cholera, Malaria and Dengue.