LAHORE, July 7: The Punjab Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has ordered a crackdown on dumping of municipal waste into prominent areas, the burning of tyres, and the disposal of industrial effluents into the aquifer in the province, an EPD official told Dawn on Monday.

But, the official admitted that even if municipal workers followed the department’s waste disposal instructions to the letter, their efforts were likely to be superficial owing to the acute shortage of landfill sites.

Nasimur Rehman, a deputy director of the EPD, said at present there were not enough landfill sites for each district, and, as such, garbage must instead be moved from areas where it was prominent to other areas which were not in the public view – effectively brushing the problem under the carpet.

He added that the incorrect disposal of municipal waste was of particular concern and that the District Officers (DOs) must cooperate more closely with the local Tehsil Municipal Administrations (TMA) in order to ensure rubbish was collected on time and disposed of adequately.

He said: “In Sahiwal, for example, you come across the city’s main dumping site as you enter the city.”

“The districts which have no landfill sites are being asked to draw up feasibility reports,” he added.

The situation is not much better in Lahore where the Solid Waste Management (SWM) wing is struggling to keep up with the 6,000 tons of solid waste produced daily. Some estimates hold that only around 35 per cent of this waste is being collected.

Mudasser Waheed, executive district officer of the SWM, had told Dawn on June 25 that 1,000 new dustbins would be made available to the public by the next week. That promise has yet to materialise.

Mr Rehman added that the new EPD Director General, Zafar Iqbal, will be holding monthly meetings with the 35 DOs (Environment) in order to ensure enforcement of the department’s numerous ordinances and environmental laws.

The top priorities include slapping fines on the factories that are discharging effluents into the aquifer from which drinking water is drawn, and those burning tyres and other rubber materials such as shoe soles as fuel resulting in noxious emissions. Both practices remain rife throughout the province and the DOs have been notified to take immediate action, without warning, against offenders.

HOSPITAL WASTE: The EPD authorities will be holding a meeting with health director general as well as representatives of various hospitals to once again reiterate its call for implementation of the Hospital Waste Management Rules of 2005, governing the handling of hazardous material. Dozens of cases have been referred to environment tribunal, though hospitals throughout the province have continued to offend despite being aware of the rules for the past three years.