CLEANIT: Helping the government locate unchecked piles of garbage in Karachi

Our social media campaign highlights just how sick Karachiites are of poor sanitation.
Published July 26, 2016
Tariq Road. — Submitted by Fatima Jaffer Muraj on Facebook
Tariq Road. — Submitted by Fatima Jaffer Muraj on Facebook

It is a well-established fact that Karachi is the one of the most polluted cities in the world. 12,000 tonnes of waste are produced in the metropolis everyday. Piles of this garbage have become a near-permanent fixture in the city's landscape.

Yet, the trash seems to largely go unnoticed by the authorities. This has previously prompted controversial campaigns by civil society activists.

But is all this about to change?

Sure sounded that way on July 18, when Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah gave a three-day deadline to the city commissioner and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) administrator to get the city cleaned or be ready to ‘face the music’.

Dawn.com ran a social media campaign #CLEANIT over the weekend to help locate waste that the government still needs to clean. Using the hashtag, Karachiites flooded our social media accounts with photos and videos of the garbage, reiterating just how grave the problem of sanitation is in the city.

Here are some of the user submissions:

Muhammad Ali Society. — Submitted by Alfatima Clinics on Facebook
Muhammad Ali Society. — Submitted by Alfatima Clinics on Facebook

Korangi. — Submitted by Qurat Ul Ain Abbassi on Facebook
Korangi. — Submitted by Qurat Ul Ain Abbassi on Facebook

Dawood Chowrangi. — Submitted by Anass Shareef on Facebook
Dawood Chowrangi. — Submitted by Anass Shareef on Facebook

Main University Road. — Submitted by Anas Jahangir Puri on Twitter

Gulistan-e-Jauhar. — Submitted by Safeer Ullah on Facebook
Gulistan-e-Jauhar. — Submitted by Safeer Ullah on Facebook

Nagan Chowrangi. — Submitted by Madiha Ahmed on Facebook
Nagan Chowrangi. — Submitted by Madiha Ahmed on Facebook

Soldier Bazar. — Submitted by Zainab Butt on Instagram
Soldier Bazar. — Submitted by Zainab Butt on Instagram

Clifton block 5. — Submitted by Arshad Nayani on Facebook
Clifton block 5. — Submitted by Arshad Nayani on Facebook

So tell us, has your locality been cleaner since Mr Shah's call?