The disposal of waste in the capital will soon no longer be a problem, as the Capital Development Authority (CDA) is going to have 400-kanal land for a landfill site.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Asad Umar said Friday that the process of the acquisition of land for a new landfill site had been initiated. He added that the 41st Board of Directors meeting of the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) had approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for signing with CDA. He said MoU would be subject to adherence to all applicable laws, rules, and regulations of the Government of Punjab.
He maintained that a piece of land measuring 1265 kanals, along the Mandra-Chakwal road — nearby villages Bagnial, Dera Pothi, and Sahang of tehsil Gujjar Khan — had been acquired, which was located almost six kilometers down from the GT Road and at a distance of 55 kilometers from the city center.
Highlighting the importance of the landfill site for CDA, the Federal Minister said CDA had been devoid of landfill sites and waste disposal infrastructure for decades, leading to environmental pollution in Islamabad. He added that CDA had been facing immense challenges in handling Islamabad’s waste, and to address this issue, a series of meetings were convened by him.
Asad Umar said that the garbage lying in the city not only created health problems but also poses a serious threat to the environment. With the acquisition of 400 kanals of land by CDA, the problem of the CDA landfill site would be solved soon, he asserted. He said that the government accorded high importance to providing a clean environment to the citizens of Islamabad.
Asad Umar has directed the relevant department to hire a consultant for environmental impact assessment for the new landfill site. The Public-Private Partnership Authority will make further recommendations for the next meeting of the RWMC Board to discuss the best way to develop the landfill site.
It is to note that on the directions of the Federal Minister, a draft MoU was prepared by the Public-Private Partnership Authority, Islamabad for sharing 400 kanals of RWMC acquired land with CDA for the landfill site. MoU was presented in the RWMC Board of Directors meeting, which approved it for signing.
