The funds will be utilized to improve the solid waste management of the federal capital
Japan provided an assistance of 500 million Japanese Yen, approximately US$4.7 million, to the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) to improve sanitary environment of the capital. This will be done by procuring garbage disposal vehicles from Japan. The deal was inked by H.E. MATSUDA Kuninori, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan and Dr. Noor Ahmad, Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, in Islamabad today.
MCI is responsible for various functions including community infrastructure, solid waste collection and social security. Due to the growing population and continued urbanization, Islamabad generates 550-600 tons of wastes per day, with more or less 60 % of which is household garbage. To make matters worse, MCI faces difficulty in collecting garbage because of the shortage and aging deterioration of garbage disposal vehicles.
In this program, special vehicles such as the Garbage Compactor, the Skip Lifting Vehicle and the Sewer Jet Sucking machine will be provided to MCI. This grant will help to improve the sanitary environment and beautification of Islamabad. It is also expected that the index of solid waste management, which is one of the five indexes of the “Clean Green Pakistan” promoted by Prime Mininster Imran Khan’s administration, will be improved.
Keeping the living environment clean is an essential element for people to be free from infectious diseases. Ambassador MATSUDA on the occasion said that people and the government in Japan work together to keep the country clean. The children are taught about the importance of cleanliness at a very young age.
“In Japan, schoolchildren clean their classrooms by themselves every day. Each family separates recyclables from the rest. Local governments collect garbage at a fixed time on a fixed day. The accumulation of such small efforts of people and government helps to keep our living environment clean. I firmly believe that the combination of personal hygiene including washing hands with clean water and improving public health leads to the prevention of infectious diseases. Japan has put priority on the sectors of Water & Sanitation, Health, Education and Disaster Prevention and will continue to support Pakistan in its effort to improve people’s livelihood,” the Ambassador said.
One can hope that the clean and green initiative will become a resounding success. In recent years, Islamabad has lost some of its sheen due to littering by people and the unusual worsening conditions of the roads. One can hope that with better solid waste management, the city can once again be clean like yesteryear.