Impacts of solid waste management in Pakistan: a case study of Rawalpindi city

Abstract

Improper solid waste management is causing negative impacts in Pakistan. To investigate the causes Rawalpindi city was selected as a case study. The situation is becoming very complex in the city due to industrialization, urbanization and improved living standards of urban areas, as these things are the cause of drastic increase in the quantity and complexity of generated waste. From this research, it is revealed that we have two major problems due to poor solid waste management, i.e. communicable diseases and unhygienic environment. Because of high growth rate, high waste generation rate, lack of efficient management and legislation, existing solid waste management systems in the city are not working properly. The main reasons for the failure of municipal solid waste management systems are unplanned annexation of the city, extreme weather conditions, lack of public awareness/community involvement, improper resources including improper equipment and lack of funds. Failure of the municipal solid waste management system has serious environmental impacts like infectious diseases, land and air pollution, blockage of drains and water pollution in natural streams.

Environmental impacts of improper solid waste management in developing countries: a case study of Rawalpindi City

“…Especially in remote areas of Pakistan, municipal authorities are not providing any facility for the collection and disposal of solid wastes [9,10]. In these remote areas scavenging by people and animals, natural biodegradation of organic wastes, burning at the initial point of disposal, and local self-help are well known solid waste disposal practices [3,11,12].…”

Edukasi Resiko Penularan Penyakit Melalui Sampah pada Pemulung Sampah di Tempat Penampungan Sementara Kelurahan Bukit Tunggal Kota Palangka Raya

“…Potensi penyakit yang ada adalah ISPA (Infeksi Saluran Pernapasan Atas), alergi kulit, radang paru-paru, asma, anemia dan lain-lain. Gangguan kesehatan itu disebabkan oleh asap dari pembakaran sampah, tebaran debu sampah, bau busuk yang terbawa angin dan sebagainya (Nisar et al, 2008). Belum lagi potensi tertular oleh penyakit infeksi seperti HIV/AIDS atau penyakit lainnya.…”

Temporal Variation in Leachate Composition of A Newly Constructed Landfill Site in Lahore in Context To Human and Environmental Risks

“…The major sources of solid waste are domestic wastes (i.e., food waste, housekeeping), agricultural waste (i.e., fertilizers waste, crops residue, farm wastes), commercial wastes (i.e., markets, hospitals, hotels, schools, and o ces), Industrial wastes (metals scraps, oils, chemicals, trash), and mining wastes (i.e., rock gangue, soil-gravels, toxic elements) ( In Pakistan, the solid wastes generation rate is 0.283 to 0.65 kg/capita/d with an annual growth rate of 2.4 % (Azam et al 2020). By an instant increase in solid waste, the morbidity rate is increasing with an increasing mortality rate in Pakistan due to improper solid waste management and associated diseases (Nisar et al 2008). Further, the unplanned disposal and deposition of solid wastes affect the food crops, air, and water quality of Lahore, where the mortality rate is ~ 25,000/ year through waterborne disease (Muhammad &Zhonghua 2014).…”