Unattended stinky offal displeases Peshawarties of peripheries areas
By Fakhar Alam
PESHAWAR: Despite passage of five days of Eidul Azha, the offal and remains of sacrificial animals in the city’s peripheries areas remained unattended and rotten thus causing foul-smell irking Peshawarties besides posing health hazards.
Besides choked sewerage system, pools of contaminated water and dilapidated roads, the stinky smell emanating from unattended offal thrown at heaps of garbage, water nullahs and open places in Chamkani, Pandu and Ring road areas have annoyed thousands of motorists and people.
The foul-smell of hides and bones of animals stored in godowns in Ring road and others had also added to people’s difficulty. Complaining of the bad sewerage condition and poor disposal of offal of sacrificial animals, Noorul Amin, a resident of Chamkani Peshawar told APP that people of his village with population of thousands were exposed to infectious diseases due to poor disposal of the animals’ remains dumped under an open sky.
“When I come out of home and go for work, I inhale an intolerable smell on Chamakani road due to unattended offal and undeclared dumping sites near population areas that was detrimental to humans health,” he said, adding the jurisdiction issue between Water and Sanitation Supply Company (WSSP) and Tehsil Municipal Administration for disposal of remains of animals in Chamkani areas added difficulties of thousands of its residents.
On Eidul Azha, he said, “every year the offal used to rest and rot on streets and roads along dumpsters, which used to generate massive odor and pathogens in the environment, which are harmful for human health and environment.
Sheryar Khan, a resident of Sethi Town Peshawar said a large quantity of hides and bones of sacrificial animals were stored at godowns in Haji camp area and ring road locality from where foul-smell has started emanating for last few days exposing children and women besides senior citizens to serious health hazards.
Besides Peshawar, the labourers collected these skins and bones from Nowshera, Charsadda and others districts and later stored them at ring road’s godwons for monetary gains without proper mechanism.
He appealed to the KP government to take these issues seriously and immediately shift these godowns outside of the city to ensure safety of the residents.
“The temporary cattle markets established by the district administration for Eidul Azha were presenting an ugly look and its cleanliness was urgently required to make the city neat.”
However, Samad Khan, a resident of Hayatabad said the civic authorities have surprised masses through their efficient response and timely collection of animals waste as all streets of his town that used to end up full of offal and remains besides foul-smell in past were now found neat and clean after this Eidul Azha.
Hassan Ali, spokesman of WSSP told APP that operations regarding disposal of offal of sacrificial animals in Peshawar have been completed and over 12,190 tons waste and offal were disposed of during three days of Eidul Azha operation.
Hassan said about 300 complaints were received by the central complaint cell during Eidul Azha’s days on which swift action was taken. He clarified that all those areas in Peshawar’s peripheries from where complaints pertaining to unattended offal were received did not come into WSSP’s domain and urged complainants to contact their respective tehsil municipal administration for addressal of their grievances.
Hassan said about 2,763 workers of the company participated in the clearance operation that started on the first day of Eid at 10 a.m. and continued till Tuesday night after its inauguration by Provincial Minister for Higher Education Kamran Khan Bangash.
Besides field staff, he said the company had cancelled duties of the management staff and assigned them zones to monitor the operation and assist field staff in identifying points for clearance.
“The data collected from the five zonal offices revealed that 5,000 tons waste were disposed off by WSSP on first day, 5,300 tons on second day and 1,890 tons on third day of Eidul Azha.”
He said 2,763 sanitary workers were deployed to collect waste through 706 vehicles of which 339 are WSSP’s own vehicles while 367 vehicles are hired on rent.
Hassan said 2,150 tons of waste were disposed of from Zone A, 3,450 tons from Zone B, 2,730 tons from Zone C, 2,000 tons from Zone D and 1,860 tons from Zone E till July 12.
Besides 113 Suzuki dumpers, 63 mini dumpers, 36 bike loaders, 149 small and large tractors, 39 compactors, 63 shovels, 93 trucks, 27 multi-loaders armroll, 112 dumpers, 11 excavators were used during the operation.
Referring over division of staff and vehicles zone-wise during the operation, he said Zone-A have deployed 609 staff and 192 vehicles, Zone B’s 723 staff and 192 vehicles while 746 staff and 159 vehicles by Zone C and 362 sanitary workers and 93 vehicles by Zone D and 324 staffers and 76 vehicles by the newly established Zone E.
As many as 180 feet width and 130 feet depth dumping site at Shamshato site was established where offal and remains of sacrificial animals were properly dumped with mud and bleaching powder.
Besides carrying out an awareness campaign in all union councils, he said “we have distributed awareness materials and biodegradable shopping bags while teams of community development officers organized corner meetings to persuade masses to dump animal waste at designated points.
Ulema, teachers, elders and people from all walks of life were engaged to make the sanitation operation a success while biodegradable shopping bags were distributed among the masses for packing of offal and placing at designated points.
The spokesman said people from all walks of life appreciated the performance of the company in keeping the city clean while elected members of the National and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, Commissioner Peshawar and traders have lauded efforts of WSSP during Eidul Azha operation., (APP)