KARACHI: While authorities claimed to have lifted and transported over 80 per cent offal to landfill sites during the three days of Eidul Azha, several parts of the metropolis were on Tuesday still littered with the animal remains.

The worst-hit localities include Liaquatabad, Gulberg, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, New Karachi, Baldia Town, Malir, Landhi, Korangi, etc where congested lanes and accumulated rainwater played havoc with the offal and animal remains.

In some localities, people also threw offal in ponds and puddles created by the heavy rains that lashed almost every part of the city.

The Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) had set up as many as 88 collection points across the city for disposal of offal.

Outbreak of diseases feared if filth not removed forthwith

Muhammad Kashif, a resident of Block 7-D-3 of the North Karachi, said that there were piles of offal in the neighbourhood and he did not see any vehicle lifting offal that had made the entire locality stinking.

“There is a possibility of outbreak of diseases if this filth is not removed immediately,” he apprehended.

Aizaz Alam, a resident of Block-13 of Gulistan-i-Jauhar, said that offal was remarkably removed from main streets in the vicinity time to time, but people kept on throwing animal remains in the area adding to the filth.

Residents of Baldia Town and Ittehad Town said that the process of lifting of offal was very slow as the animal remains still littered their vicinity leading to unbearable stink.

The situation of cleanliness in city’s shantytowns and localities of low-income households also remained unsatisfactory as people complained that the garbage disposal staff was too slow in their performance.

Officials said that cleanliness operation in low-lying areas was hampered due to accumulated rainwater.

People in several localities of Malir, Landhi and Korangi also complained that offal remained lying on the streets and desolated places in their areas for hours.

A resident of Malir Khokrapar, Syed Qamar Abbas, said that people removed offal from the lanes and streets in the area themselves and shifted them to an unofficial garbage den. “We are waiting the authorities to shift the animal remains to landfill site,” he added.

The situation in the salubrious parts of the city, such as Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and Clifton, was far better despite flooding of the streets.

However, a resident of Block-5 of Clifton said that floating head of a sacrificial cow entered her house.

SSWMB Managing Director Zubair Channa told Dawn that over 63,000 tonnes of garbage that included 60 per cent offal and animal remain were lifted across the city during the three days of Eid and shifted to the landfill sites by the garbage contracting firms.

“Over 90pc offal and animal remains have been removed from the city,” he said, adding that over 80,000 tonnes of garbage would be lifted from the city by Wednesday (today).

Around 7,200 small vehicles including Suzuki pickups and Qingqi rickshaws with over 14,000 workers of the contracting firms were used by the SSWMB in the lifting of offal in seven districts of the city.

Besides, they said, around 1,000 dumpers were used to shift the garbage and offal to the landfill sites during the past three days.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Dr Sohail Rajput visited the command and control cell of the SSWMB where he was briefed about the lifting of offal from the city and its subsequent shifting to different landfill sites.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2022