Punjab has only one landfill site: EPD report: MSW management cos in only seven districts

LAHORE: The Punjab generates approximately 47,300 tons of solid waste daily but unfortunately municipal solid waste (MSW) management companies are operating in only seven districts of Punjab.

These districts included Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala and Sialkot while there is only a single environmentally approved landfill site in Punjab, based in Lakhodair area, District Lahore. In rest of the districts, the collected municipal waste is dumped at open sites without proper landfill.

It has been claimed in a “Punjab state of the environment report 2022”, recently launched by the Environment Protection Department (EPD). Lahore contributes most in waste generation of Punjab (29%) followed by Rawalpindi (10%), Multan, Kasur and Faisalabad (9% each), Gujranwala (6%), Sheikhupura (5%) and Sialkot (3%). Whereas, the rest of the 28 districts produce 21% of Punjab’s waste, the report added.

Inadequate solid waste management and disposal system prevailing in the province pose significant environmental and health risks arising from release of harmful pollutants during waste burning, seepage of leachate into the soil and underground water and vectors breeding at the unmanaged dump sites in addition to the odour and other aesthetic issues.

Leachate from open MSW dumpsites had Cadmium, Ammonia, Arsenic, Zinc, COD, BOD, TDS and TSS values higher than the PEQS for municipal and liquid industrial wastewater indicating it as a source for soil and underground water contamination. This necessitates the need for on-site leachate collection and treatment system in all the landfill/ dumpsites in Punjab.

Hospitals with more than 20 beds generate about 2.8 tons of infectious waste per day while the incineration capacity is lower than the collection rate. District Kasur has both highest collection rate (27%) and the largest incineration capacity (30.2%) followed by Lahore, Faisalabad, Khanewal, Attock, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Multan and Sahiwal.

Strengthening monitoring and control frameworks, developing comprehensive legal framework and guidelines for wastewater and municipal solid waste management, identifying and implementing latest treatment technologies, improving collection efficiency, segregation of garbage at source, formalizing recycling and promoting the 5Rs are some of the management interventions suggested for sustainable wastewater and MSW management, the report further said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023