PESHAWAR: Taking notice of open dumping of hospital waste in its containers, Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar has asked the public and private hospitals to stop using its bins.

Owners of the hospitals were warned against the environmental hazards of hospital waste and asked to install incinerators instead of dumping the waste in the open.

The warning was made at a meeting held here with WSSP chief executive officer Syed Zafar Ali Shah in the chair, according to a statement issued here on Saturday.

Mr Shah directed the zonal managers, field officers and municipal inspectors of the company to collect evidence, take pictures and record videos of hospital waste being dumped in and around WSSP waste containers.

The evidence would be shared with the Environmental Protection Agency as well as the district administration on open dumping of the hazardous waste.

The CEO directed the managers to hold meetings with owners of the hospitals to stop open dumping of waste and install incinerators. “If hospitals continue the practice of open dumping, then divide them in different categories and charge them on the basis of quantity of waste they dump in WSSP bins,” said Ali Shah.

The WSSP chief also directed the managers to collect data of fruits and vegetable markets throughout Peshawar that have been availing services of the company. “They should also pay WSSP for cleaning their waste generated from their markets,” he said.

The meeting decided to start a month-long ‘Beat System’ project on experimental basis under which WSSP officials would pick waste littered on roadsides and streets and dump it in waste containers.

“Educate the shopkeepers and market owners about importance of proper dumping and hazards of littering for a month, and if they continue to litter the roads and resort to open dumping even after the expiry of the period, then fine them heavily,” Mr Shah asked the managers.

The project would be started from Qissa Khwani, Chowk Yadgaar, Gulbahar, Faqirabad, Board Bazaar and Tehkal.

Mr Shah also asked for devising a strategy to clean roads during nights and stressed the need for mechanical sweeping.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2019