Solid Waste burning near Ring Road Peshawar cause diseases

Wisal Yousafzai

PESHAWAR: Solid Waste and plastic burning at Gul-bahar near Ring Road spreading different disease among the resident of the area and people were compelled to leave the area.

The Water Sanitation Services Peshawar Company (WSSP) dumped the solid waste and garbage near Ring Road Peshawar which a residential area and near to Gul Bahar , Afridi Garhi and other adjacent area.

The people of the area some days ago blocked the main Ring Road for all sort of traffic and stage a protest against the WSSP service and district administration Peshawar over the burning of solid waste and the spreading of smoke which consists of different poisonous gases.

A resident of the area Kamran Khan said that despite protest and demonstration over the issue of burning waste in the area still the practice is going on and the district administration and WSSP not take any action.

He requested and demanded to immediately take away all the solid waste dumping from the area, adding that now Ring Road became a residential area and the smoke of these solid waste increasing diseases among aged people and children.

According to doctors and health practioners that backyard-burning of waste is far more harmful to our health than previously thought. It can increase the risk of heart disease; aggravate respiratory ailments such as asthma and emphysema, and cause rashes, nausea, or headaches, damages in the nervous system, kidney or liver, in the reproductive and development system.

When contacted WSSP official and asked about the problem he said that WSSP is working hard to clean Peshawar and became it again the city of flower.

He said that there is a dumping area for solid waste near Ring Road, adding that this dumping area is used for the last so many years.

He further informed that there were around one thousand tone solid waste every day developed in the city area which were dumped near Ring Road Peshawar, adding that solid dumped was not burning by anyone but it was different gases in the dumped of solid waste which cause of fire.

He added that local government department is serious to acquire land for solid waste of Peshawar and properly dumped it, adding that in Maryum Zai area near Badbher area of Peshawar where land has been finalized but because of the local area people complained that project is stopped.

Khan added that in Shamshato area of Peshawar the land has been acquired and soon all the solid waste dump will be shifted to Shamshato area, adding that they now the reservation of the resident of the area but they were in close contact with the local administration to address and solve this problem as soon as possible.

When Contacted Environmental Protection Agency Director General Dr. Bashir Khan and asked him about the issue of solid waste dumping he said that already the issue is in Peshawar High Court .

He further said that on the coming Friday Chief Justice Peshawar High Court has order to present WSSP chief and will asked him about the issues, adding that EPA has already present the case in the court because it is very harmful for human lives.