Leaking garbage trucks spark health concerns | The Express Tribune

RAWALPINDI:

The city’s waste management and disposal system is under intensifying scrutiny, with allegations that Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) dump trucks, responsible for ferrying refuse from urban ‘filth depots’ to the main dumping site, are plagued by significant operational deficiencies.

Poor loading practices mean waste is piled into trucks without adequate covering, causing highly contaminated, foul-smelling wastewater to leak onto major roads, including the busy Murree Road, Rawal Road, Committee Chowk, Katchery Chowk, Rashid Minhas Road, and routes towards Sawan. Spilled rubbish along these routes has also become a common sight.

Between 8am and 10am each day, during peak office and college hours, overloaded trucks depart from temporary waste depots such as Committee Chowk Sunday Bazaar, Liaquat Bagh near the RWMC headquarters, and others, spreading stench and filth throughout the city. Many of these vehicles also leak oil or diesel, creating hazardous slippery patches that have led to frequent accidents.

On Wednesday, at around 9am, one such refuse-laden truck, leaking diesel and toxic wastewater, caused four motorcyclists to skid and crash. Two of the motorcycles were carrying female passengers. All four riders sustained serious injuries, with one, Iftikharuddin, suffering severe leg trauma. Passers-by rendered first aid and arranged their transport to the hospital.

Malik Zaheer Awan, Chairman of the Citizen Action Committee (CAC), says repeated complaints have been lodged with RWMC about these vehicles, alleging that water is deliberately poured onto waste at depots to increase the trucks’ load weight, thereby inflating performance records and payment claims. This contaminated water, he warned, poses serious public health risks, contributing to coughs, colds, hepatitis, tuberculosis, eye infections, and skin diseases.

Awan adds that when such trucks stop at traffic signals, their stench engulfs entire junctions. While motorists can roll up their windows, pedestrians and motorcyclists remain fully exposed.

He further notes that these vehicles travel up to 100 kilometres daily from Rawalpindi’s depots to the central dumping site, continuously dripping toxic liquid along the way.

Mounting public frustration has led to strong protests. District Coordination Committee Chairman, MNA Engineer Qamarul Islam, told reporters that all complaints would be addressed and that funds would be made available to improve the system where needed.

He pledged to end the transport of wet waste and to implement a standard operating procedure to ensure proper disposal at the central dumping ground.

According to a RWMC spokesperson, all their dumpers are in working order, and any isolated complaints would be addressed.

However, shopkeepers along Murree Road, Liaquat Bagh Chowk, and Talian Shahan and toxic water leakage from these trucks is routine.

Residents say the temporary depots at Liaquat Bagh and Committee Chowk Sunday Bazaar have made life unbearable for nearby communities. Despite three years of protests, they claim no action has been taken, with officials merely listening to grievances and then remaining silent.