ISLAMABAD, Feb 5: The capital is facing severe problem of solid waste disposal owing to lack of sanitary landfills, a conventional method of garbage disposal.

According to a study conducted by the Capital Development Authority in 2002, the rate of solid waste generation in Islamabad was estimated at 0.662-kg per capita per day, which works out to be about 563 metric tons per day and 194,394 tons per year.

Environment pollution is tangled with the unsustainable anthropogenic activities, resulting in substantial public health problems.

Land pollution is one of the major forms of environmental catastrophes the world faces today. Population growth and economic development have brought enormous amounts of solid waste to the urban areas.

Municipal solid waste normally termed as 'garbage', 'trash' or 'refuse' is an inevitable by-product of human activity. The three major garbage disposal methods are dumping, burning and land filling; the last one being the most commonly used method worldwide. The solid waste generated daily in the Islamabad Capital Territory is dumped in Sector H-12 in a haphazard way and without any sanitary considerations.

This open dumping site is located 10km from the Zero Point on the Kashmir Highway. The garbage is burnt to control the odour, but even then one encounters a nauseating smell on the highway.

The present solid waste management in the capital is not according to the environmental standards and there is a dire need for a sanitary landfill. The situation can be improved by planning, designing and constructing waste disposal sites using latest techniques to avoid causing any harm to environment.

Contamination of ground water is the major environmental risk related to improper landfilling of solid waste. Open dumps are unsightly, unsanitary and generally smelly; they also attract scavenging animals, rats, insects, pigs and other pests.

The impact of heavy metal contamination in ecological material is based on their potential for adverse effect on human health and environment.

As far as Pakistan is concerned, solid waste disposal is a crucial problem in most of the cities.

According to the National Conservation Strategy, Pakistan generates 47,920 tons of solid waste per day. Out of the total waste produced in the country everyday, about 19,920 tons is produced in urban and 28,730 tons in the rural areas.

If sanitary landfill cannot be materialized in the near future, precautionary measures such as ground cover of not less than six inches should be applied on weekly basis. This practice will dilute the noxious effects of open garbage dumping.

Regular monitoring of tube-wells near the landfill site should be done and inhabitants using that drinking water should be informed about its quality. Garbage is often burnt which causes environmental pollution, particularly air pollution, and this practice should be halted. Fencing of landfill sites should be done to control the scavenging livestock, which feed on the hazardous material.