PLACING garbage containers close to residential locations is convenient as citizens can deposit garbage at any time and there is a routine lifting of garbage by trucks and the cleaning of containers. This system is common in many developed and under-developing countries. Even in Pakistan, posh areas in major cities employ this system.

With the passage of time and the invention of technologies the kachra kundies that were in vogue in our towns and cities were mostly phased out. Today, we have switched over to movable garbage containers.

This is the best-suited option to remove and dispose garbage from high-rise buildings both residential and commercial.

In advanced countries, four types of containers or bins are placed to collect different kinds of hard and soft garbage. Citizens are required to place their trash accordingly and fine imposed for wrong placement.

In Pakistan, however, the municipalities or cantonment boards continue with collecting garbage via obsolete kachra kundies.

The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and cantonment boards collect huge sums as property and conservancy tax in their respective jurisdiction from citizens but give poor service.

The negligence on the part of municipalities, solid waste management boards and cantonment boards is to be blamed for the unhealthy conditions prevailing in Karachi.

Hasan Adil Malik

Karachi

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2019