MINGORA: The local shopkeepers here on Tuesday decided to start using biodegradable shopping bags to reduce pollution in the district.

They decided this during an awareness walk against the use of plastic bags to control the fast spreading environmental pollution in Mingora.

The walk was led by Deputy Commissioner Saqib Raza Aslam, Swat Traders Federation president Abdul Rahim Roghaney, ADC Fawad Khan, WSSC operation manager Mian Shahid Ali and Swat bar president Hazrat Maaz. The local elders and schoolchildren also participated in the walk.

The participants of the walk said that polythene bags were affecting environment because they were non-biodegradable.

“The excessive use of plastic bags has defaced streets and streams in Mingora and other bazaars in Swat. Situation will get alarming if use of it is not stopped,” said the participants.

“The provincial government is keen to make Mingora and other cities clean and beautiful. Following the directives, the district administration has taken practical steps to make Mingora clean and beautiful,” said the deputy commissioner.

He said that Mingora would soon be declared a model city by making it environmentally clean.

The participants said that plastic bag had many disadvantages as it not only increased environmental pollution but also spread numerous diseases.

“This is our responsibility to control the increasing pollution in our surroundings and help the governmental organisations in this regard,” said Hazrat Maaz.

The participants distributed biodegradable bags among the shopkeepers.

The traders federation announced to stop use of plastic bags voluntarily.

The traders decided to cooperate with the district administration in cleaning the environment.

However, some shopkeepers demanded of the government to provide biodegradable bags at cheaper prices to them and make them available everywhere so that they could buy them easily and replace them with plastic bags.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2019