September 11, 2008	Thursday	Ramazan 10, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Sept 10: Residents living adjacent to Sector H-10 have become upset over the terrible stench coming from the Capital Development Authority’s not-so-old dumping site along the Kashmir Highway.The putrid smell emitting from the rotting garbage hangs in the air all day long, particularly in G-10/1 and G-11/1 and 4.

“It’s hard for me to cook in the kitchen as the smell has made my life miserable” a housewife, Shumaila Husnain, told Dawn.

She said numerous complaints had been lodged with the civic authority but all were in vain.

It’s not only the residents who face this nuisance, but the students of various educational institutions like International Islamic University also have to bear the reek due to proximity of the dumping site to their campuses.

Razi Haider, an IIU student residing in the hostel, said “the foul smell is unbearable”.

Traders doing business in I&T Centre located opposite to the garbage disposal site also expressed same views, demanding that the site should be moved to some other place. A trader, Mr Naveed, said: “The fetid air has forced us to wear masks as we do business.”

Tons of garbage produced by the metropolis is brought daily to the site. After offloading the domestic refuse into ditches, the dump is covered with dirt brought in trucks from a nearby area.

A police official deputed at the ‘Project Mor check post’ said that he and his colleagues had to stand guard 12 hours a day in two shifts and the duty had become even tougher with the foul smell hanging in the air. “It is very difficult for us to perform our duty as we are deputed just metres away from the disposal site,” another official remarked.

When contacted, CDA Director Sanitation Mustafain Kazmi said: “The garbage disposal issue will be resolved within weeks as we have signed a deal with Fauji Cement Company and they will lift the garbage on daily basis from the site for their use.”

Talking about the H-11 disposal site which was closed more than a year ago, he said the old site had to be abandoned when the land was purchased by an educational institution. The present site is also a temporary one, he added.

“The actual site for the disposal selected by the Capital Development Authority is the Kuri landfill, which is yet to be completely developed,” he concluded.