The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had directed Capital Development Authority (CDA) to shift the landfill site from the densely populated area in the H-18 to a planned and proper place in 10 days. The residents of the H-18 sector had filed a petition against the Islamabad administration for not removing the landfill which was a nuisance for the people living in nearby areas. According to the petitioners, the large-scale waste dump was environmentally unsustainable and problematic for the locals.
The recent decision of the IHC also highlighted the issue of a lack of proper landfill site in the federal capital which primarily led to the civic agency dumping waste near the densely-populated area. The initial dumping of waste started in the H-10 sector but the protests from residents restricted CDA from dumping waste in that sector. CDA shifted the dumping site to H-16, however, the landfill had to be relocated from there as development work began in the sector. Consequently, the landfill sites ended up in sector H-16 at Badhan Kalan.
The IHC highlighted that the civic agency needs to restrain itself from dumping waste near populated areas. The court has directed the CDA chairman to make arrangements for the waste disposal in 10 days. However, this task will not be an easy one, considering that the CDA has tried multiple times for the acquisition of space for the landfill. Previously, the administrative authority planned a landfill site in B-17, but the residents of that locality objected and requested the agency to relocate the site for environmental protection from pollution.
Islamabad generates 600 tonnes of waste every day, however, the city does not have a permanent landfill site. This leaves CDA with no sustainable or long-term alternative besides dumping in the under-developed I-12 sector where thousands of plots have been allocated and development is expected to begin in new few months.
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