ISLAMABAD: Residents of Sectors I-10/1 and I-10/2 have expressed strong anger over the continuous dumping of garbage near Sabzi Mandi, saying the foul smell and growing waste have made life in the area unbearable, a newspaper report said.
Residents said the garbage is dumped almost daily but rarely removed, creating severe health and hygiene problems. They have appealed to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to take urgent notice of the issue and direct authorities to act.
According to the newspaper report, announcements were made from local mosques, warning that residents would be forced to protest and block roads if the dumping does not stop.
A resident shared that garbage had been dumped in front of Sector I-10 for years, causing immense hardship to about 3,000 households in the area.
He said he had earlier lodged complaints with the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) and its Director General in 2023, but no action was taken. Eventually, he filed a petition with the Environmental Protection Tribunal.
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“The Tribunal took up the case and later ruled in my favour, declaring the dumping site illegal under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997. It also directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to consult residents and remove the garbage,” said, who filed the case.
However, he said, the CDA failed to comply, forcing him to file a contempt petition with the Tribunal. “I hope this time the matter will be resolved permanently,” he added.
Residents said that despite repeated warnings, CDA trucks continue to dump waste in front of I-10/1 and I-10/2.
They complained that if ten trucks unload waste, only about five return to collect it, causing garbage piles to grow daily. The dumping site lies between a large departmental store and the Fruit and Vegetable Market, further worsening the situation.
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Another resident said the area has seen a rise in allergies and other diseases due to the continuous dumping.
An environmentalist, while speaking to the newspaper, said it was alarming that Islamabad was beginning to resemble Karachi because of unchecked garbage dumping within residential areas.
“These dumping sites are breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses, and they attract stray animals,” she said. “Environmental protection must be treated as a government priority since it directly affects people’s health.”
