LAHORE: In a bid to keep the city clean in narrow and congested areas, especially the Walled City, Ichhra and unplanned residential localities, the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) has procured rickshaw loaders for collecting and shifting the solid waste to the transfer stations.

The company has also approved a proposal seeking outsourcing of the company field formations’ security.

“We have so far procured 10 of the 67 rickshaw loaders, whereas the remaining 57 will be delivered in a week or so,” LWMC Managing Director Rafia Haider told Dawn on Saturday.

“Of 933 units of new equipment/machinery, we ordered the manufacturers, we have received total 30, including 20 mini dump trucks,” she said, adding of 6,000 new waste containers/bins, 4,005 had been added to the system and the remaining would be in place till July 31.

Meanwhile, the company also finalised its Eid operation plan (collection, shifting and dumping of sacrificial animals’ offal and other general solid waste) during Eid holidays. Under the plan, the company is all set to set up 119 transfer stations and 3,304 pickup points in all nine defunct zones/towns to collect sacrificial animals’ offals.

“We are deploying 330 excavators. Up to 266 trolleys, 185 loaders and 1,085 dumpers will be deployed for this Eid operation,” Ms Haidar told the media.

“Ravi Town will have 359, Shalimar-377, Wagah Town 258, and Aziz Bhatti Town will have 289 pickups for collection of offal.

Up to 247 pickups will be in field to collect offal from the respective areas and then offloading to landfill sites. Similarly, the Gulberg town will have 292, Samanabad Town 309, Allama Iqbal Town 505 and Nishtar Town 454. Up to 34 pickups will be deployed on Ring Road as per plan.”

Up to 3,570 tents will be placed at all 119 collection points in whole city while 290 Eid camps will be placed in each UC as per plan. To maintain cleanliness, 1.5 million waste bags will be distributed to the people in all nine towns.

“Lime and phenyl will also be sprinkled to improve the aesthetics of the city,” she maintained.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2021