THIS refers to a serious environmental hazard in the making by unscrupulous municipal workers. I commute daily by Lehtrar Road for work. The meandering Korang River, after its outflow from Rawal Dam, flows underneath Lehtrar Road near Burma Town below the famous Burma Bridge whose left span collapsed a few years ago.

The bridge is not useable and currently two-way traffic uses the other remaining part only. Although the collapsed part of the bridge is not useable, the movement of vehicles up to its middle portion is possible where there is a wide gape dividing it into two portions.

Now the practice being adopted by the garbage collection staff of that entire zone is that they bring the garbage-filled tractor trolleys in reverse to the middle of the damaged Burma Bridge and then throw the entire load into the Korang River with impunity.

This practice has been going on for years and no responsible official appears to have taken notice of it. On paper, this garbage is being dumped at the designated landfill site, but in practice it is being thrown into this river with all its implications.

This tonnes of daily garbage, after polluting the entire length and breadth of Korang River, might be ending up in the Indus River — the Korang’s ultimate destination. Islamabad municipal authorities should act and ensure this practice by its workers is stopped.

Col (r) Imtiaz Khan

Rawalpindi

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2019