ISLAMABAD: Citizens have raised their voice against open dumping in the Bhara Kahu area, particularly along Simly Dam Road, saying these unregulated dumping sites are causing environmental problems.
They said there is no proper system for cleanliness and garbage collection in Bhara Kahu. As a result, there are several open dumping sites, mainly two along Simly Dam Road, including one at Kalma Chowk and the other near a petrol pump.
Bhara Kahu is a thickly populated area and, in the absence of a proper waste management system, people also throw trash in vacant plots and nullahs.
“Bhara Kahu is part of Islamabad. Unfortunately, the CDA has failed to provide sanitation services. With such poor conditions, it seems Bhara Kahu is part of some far-flung district of the country,” said Bilal Ahmed, a resident of Ahmed Town.
Citizens urge CDA to restore sanitation services as civic agency says cleanup operation has begun
He said that in the past, the CDA had started a garbage collection service, but it was halted a few years ago.
Another concerned citizen, Syed Wajid Bukhari, recently wrote a letter to the CDA, seeking the attention of the civic agency’s sanitation directorate to the issue. He pointed out garbage dumping along Simly Dam Road, particularly near Kalma Chowk and the bridge adjacent to the PTV Colony.
“The continuous dumping and accumulation of unmanaged solid waste at the above-mentioned location is causing serious environmental degradation, foul odour and unhygienic conditions, adversely affecting commuters, nearby residents and the surrounding environment. The issue requires immediate attention to prevent further deterioration of public health and sanitation conditions,” the letter said.
Mr Bukhari, who is Secretary General of the Pakistan Association of Large Steel Producers (PALSP), requested the CDA to take steps to clear the affected areas at the earliest. He also offered his association’s assistance in improving the environment.
“PALSP, as a responsible stakeholder, remains willing to extend its cooperation to the concerned authorities in any initiative aimed at improving the environmental condition of the area,” the letter said.
“The CDA should take steps to make the area green and clean. We are even ready to help the CDA under CSR, but citizens can’t tolerate such open dumping sites,” he said.
It is relevant to note that the CDA is in the process of outsourcing cleanliness and garbage collection across Islamabad. Under the project, the capital has been divided into urban and rural zones.
Recently, the CDA opened the financial bids for the Rs17.9 billion project, which involves four-year contracts. Two joint ventures (JVs) were in the final race. Atlas Pak submitted the lowest bid for both packages, including urban and rural, with a difference of Rs380 million.
After opening the financial bids, sources said the CDA referred them to the consultant for final input. During the last two years, tenders were floated several times but were later cancelled. The previous contract expired in February last year, and since then the rural areas have been the most affected.
The newly appointed Director Sanitation, Malik Atta, through the CDA’s spokesperson, told Dawn that the issue of open dumping along Simly Dam Road had come to his notice.
“I joined just two days ago and, after taking charge, immediately directed my team to clear the affected areas along Simly Dam Road. Our operation is in progress,” he said, adding that, on the directions of the CDA chairman and the interior minister, the urban-rural division would soon end through the outsourcing project.
Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2026
