Non-disposal of wastes at designated sites: SEPA issues notices to towns' administrators

Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has expressed concern over the non-seriousness of town municipal administrations' officials of Karachi in dumping the solid wastes at the designated land fill sites and make environment safe and clean.
It has issued warning notices to administrators of all towns of the city for proper dumping of wastes at the designated land filling sites, sources told Business Recorder here on Saturday. SEPA team visited all the towns of Karachi and monitored the waste management system and took photographs and made videos of the wastes littered in different areas of the city.
After completion of the monitoring, the SEPA officials have observed that town administrations are not serious in dumping solid and other wastes at the designated landfill sites, which are hazardous for environment. Later, on the directives of Director General SEPA Naeem Mughul, the concerned officials issued notices to administrators of all the towns including Kimari town, Gulshan-e-Iqbal town, Malir town, Gadap town, Nazimabad town, Bin Qasim town, Liyari town, Gulberg town, Saddar town, Orangi town and Liaqatabad.
SEPA has issued an Environmental Protection Order (EPO) to the administrator, Jamshed town, where the waste management system has been observed as dysfunctional. In the warning letter and EPO, SEPA has mentioned that wastes are littered in different areas of the town, which is very dangerous for not only human health but also for animals and plants.
The agency has asked the town administration to dump all kinds of wastes at the designated landfill sites, which are in North Karachi and near Hub. Despite repeated attempts, Director General, SEPA, Naeem Mughul, could not be reached out for comments. However, when Director (Technical) SEPA, Waqar Ahmed Phulpoto, was contacted he conformed the issuance of notices to the town administrations regarding proper disposal of wastes at the designated landfill sites.
He told Business Recorder that before issuance of the letters and EPO, many high level meetings were held but without any positive outcome. "When we realised the town administrators are not giving heeds to our concerns, SEPA issued warning notices and EPO to them," he added. He said if the town administrators did not respond the notices and EPO than the agency would lodge complaints against them and these would be send to Environmental Protection Tribunal (EPT) for further action.