LAHORE: The Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) on Thursday devised a plan to ensure cleanliness in the city, especially on the Eidul Azha.

In order to review and monitor the cleanliness operation at the cattle markets, LWMC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rafia Haider visited the cattle markets in the early hours of the day, including the Pine Avenue and Barki Road cattle markets.

She said the LWMC staff was working round the clock in the field for cleaning arrangements and the LWMC had disposed of a record 7,200 tonne waste in the last 24 hours.

She said more than 170 sanitary workers were deployed in 13 cattle markets while more than 65 small and large operational vehicles were deployed to clean these markets.

In the daily cleanliness operations, more than 150 tonne waste is being disposed of daily from the cattle markets while service delivery camps have been set up for traders and buyers in all the cattle markets of the city to address public complaints about cleanliness.

Plans hiring 3,500 pick-up trucks for Eid operations

According to the Lahore Waste Management Company, distribution of waste bags in cattle markets has started while the public can get waste bags free of cost from the service delivery camps set up in the cattle markets.

In order to ensure the proper disposal of waste and keeping the rest of the city clean, 1.5m bags will be distributed among the citizens. The department will be providing one million small waste bags and 0.5m large bags. The waste bags will be made available free of cost in all cattle markets, respective 280 UC camps, zonal offices, major mosques and Eid Gahs.

For prompt collection of animal waste, the LWMC would hire pick-up trucks two days before Eid for garbage bag distribution and waste collection. More than 3,500 pick-up trucks would be hired for Eidul Azha operations.

These pick-up trucks will be deployed in all UCs of Lahore for collection of animal waste. The Lahore Waste Management Company will also ensure the cleanliness of 190 collective sacrificial points by providing additional resources like pick-up trucks, containers and trolleys etc.

In addition to containers, 110 temporary waste storage points and five dumping sites (Lakhodair, Mehmood Booti, Sundar, Tibba and Saggian) for animal waste would also be established.

The Lahore Waste Management Company will also collect animal waste from all private housing societies by establishing special collection points. The administration of private societies will be responsible for collection of waste within their premises whereas the LWMC will collect and transport waste from five temporary designated points only.

Similarly, special cleanliness arrangements would be ensured near and around mosques and Eidgahs.

The Lahore Waste Management Company will establish Eid camps in each union council of Lahore and in total, 280 camps will be established, not only to address the complaints of the citizens but to efficiently coordinate cleanliness activities in the respective UC’s as well.

A control room will be established in the LWMC head office with special focus on coordinating collective operational activities and complaint resolution during Eid days.

According to plan, all the staff of Lahore Waste Management Company will remain on board during Eid days to provide efficient cleanliness services to the citizens of Lahore.

The standard cleanliness activities will mainly focus on prompt collection, storage, transportation and disposal of animal waste during all three days of Eid.

The Eid cleanliness operation has been started with provision of sanitation facilities at 13 cattle markets.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2022