People living in outskirts of Karachi are worried about indifferent attitude of city government authorities, who have selected surroundings of ancient villages to dump entire solid waste of the city there. Activists belonging to coastal belt told this scribe that many trucks are coming daily to unload solid waste near their villages and put it on fire.
The garbage keeps on burning day and night. "It seems officials sitting in certain offices are stone-deaf that is why they are seen reluctant to pay heed to our complaints and save the people from poisonous smoke," an activist commented.
The city government's 18-town administrations, including Site, Baldia, Orangi, Lyari, Saddar, Jamshed Quarters, Gulshan-i-Lqbal, Shah Faisal Colony, Landhi, Korangi, North Nazimabad, New Karachi, Gulberg, Liaquatabad, Malir, Bin Qasim, Keamari and Gadap, reportedly generate 7000 tonnes garbage every day.
People living in villages, located in the jurisdiction of three towns, ie Bin Qasim, Keamari and Gadap are badly affected due to garbage burning.
Raisabad is one of the villages directly affected by pollution.
The village, located on the main Hub River Road in Union Council No 8, Keamari Town, has population of 13,000, comprising mainly Balochi and Sindhi speaking. The residents have been living there probably even before the British rule.
Mir Ghulam Sarwar Rais, former councillor said that the burning garbage heaps are affecting the people of Noor Muhammad Goth, Parya Goth, Waroo Goth, Nabidad Goth, Umar Goth, Sheeda Goth, Khawasthi Goth, Maling Goth, Abdullah Goth, Dildar Goth, Haji Chutta Goth, Haji Hussain Goth, Haji Shaikh Goth, Muhammad Khan Goth and other localities.
Rais expressing concern over polluted environment around his native village said, the city district government is aware of the problem facing suburban people. He said several complaints were submitted to the City Nazim's Secretariat but n action has been taken so far.
Recalling the past agreement signed between the defunct KMC and the area people, a village elder said that the city municipality administration had to establish a recycling factory at the dumping site to control the pollution. The concerned department had started construction of the factory building. They installed machinery there for the purpose. Later, all the machinery got rusted due to non-operation for many years.
"The authorities might be in good position to justify the failure of the project," he said.
People from Bin Qasim town said a number of truckloads of waste being dumped daily near Rehri and other villages, endangering the people's lives, their livelihood as well as marine life.
Mahmood Gabol, a social activist from fishermen's biggest locality Ibrahim Hydri, said several truckloads come daily to dump waste at the seashore near Akbar Shah Goth, Juma Goth, Chashma Goth and some points near Rehri village. Mostly fishermen, who are busy at the local jetty for landing their produce and going to open sea for catch, are directly affected by smoke.
He said: "people leaving homes in the early morning for a daily walk complain for breathing poisonous air instead of fresh air."
"We people living at suburbs assumed earlier that we are safe from every kind of pollution, but now we have changed our minds and feel that our lives are endangered due to smoke and dirty environment."
On the complaints of local people advisor to chief minister for health and environment once personally visited the site and ensured the residents of the area that garbage trucks would not dump waste there in future. But after few days again trucks started coming there, creating health hazards for the local fishermen, Gabol said.
Rehri, the second largest coastal village, its surrounding area and the sea are under dual threat of pollution by the industrial waste as well. Once most attractive landscape the Karachi coast is also losing its beauty rapidly due to increasing pollution. Rehri having 35,000 population is surrounded by mangroves forests, but, the poisonous effluent discharged by the factories located in Landhi-Korangi Industrial Area and the tanneries pose great threat to mangroves and the marine life, activists said.
According to area fishermen, the industrial waste has destroyed marine life near seashore once rich in fish stocks. They said that now they had to go to open sea in search of livelihood.
Akhtar Shaikh, former councillor, Union Council Rehri said that the UC administration approached the city government several times to stop dumping of waste at the coast but all in vain. A number of trucks carrying urban waste were still dumped near Rehri daily, he added.
He said the communities have been deprived of all basic facilities, including potable water, health services and education. Instead of providing basic facilities, the authorities have chosen these localities for dumping garbage to pollute the atmosphere.
The government authorities are making tall claims of taking effective steps to protect marine environment, but the situation is contrary to it, he said.
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