ISLAMABAD: City managers are in a fix over earmarking a new landfill site as the existing temporary site in I-12 is almost full to its capacity.

Recently, in a high-profile meeting headed by the secretary cabinet and attended by secretary interior, secretary climate change, the CDA chairman and several other officers, the issue of the landfill site came under discussion.

The meeting directed the CDA to come up with short and long-term solutions to the issue.

The meeting was held after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued a stay order on the CDA’s proposed site in H-16 and directed the civic agency and other stakeholders to submit a report.

On the other hand, CDA continues to receive criticism from residents for questionably reversing its decision of setting up a permanent landfill site after finalising a site in Kuri in 2011.

For over 10 years, Islamabad has been making makeshift arrangements for dumping over 600 tonnes waste at temporary locations.

The civic agency for years has been dumping the waste in the under-developed residential sector of I-12 which is now almost filled. On the other hand, the allottees of the sector have been demanding development work and the CDA recently also called tenders for it.

A few years ago, the civic agency proposed a site in Sangjani, but the environment body after receiving public complaints rejected the site. Later, the CDA proposed a site in institutional sector of H-16, but the IHC issued a stay order.

Subsequently, the civic agency proposed a new site in its nursery at Park Road but received strong criticism as local people said flower germination can’t go side by side with the dumping site. On Park Road, CDA has already launched its own three housing schemes of Park Enclaves and the fourth one exclusively for overseas Pakistanis is also in the pipeline. Therefore, the civic agency has dropped the plan of setting up a landfill site in the area.

Sources said that now the CDA was again focusing on H-16 and may plead before the IHC that for the time being it should be allowed to dump in the institutional sector as the planning wing had already earmarked a site in the sector.

“Honestly speaking, we are in a fix. Wherever we proposed a site, people started raising questions. Where we should go? Now, we have two plans - temporary and permanent. We will set up a temporary site in Islamabad while a permanent landfill site will be developed in Mandra in collaboration with Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA),” said an officer of CDA.

When contacted, CDA’s spokesperson Syed Asif Raza said the civic agency had been working on both temporary and permanent plans.

“The Mandra site, which will be a joint venture with the RDA, once developed will be the permanent solution,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2022