Rawalpindi launches preparations for Eidul Azha waste disposal plan

RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC), along with the Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonment boards, has begun preparations for a cleanliness operation aimed at handling sacrificial animal waste during Eidul Azha next month.

As part of the plan, RWMC and the two cantonment boards have floated tenders to hire machinery and transport from the open market and private sector. The equipment being sought includes Qingqi rickshaws, Suzuki vehicles and handcarts so waste can be collected from narrow streets, homes and neighbourhoods over a three-day period.

According to the plan, private owners have been asked to submit details by April 20 for the hiring of machinery, Qingqi rickshaws, Suzuki vehicles and carts.

The operation will also involve the hiring of 3,000 temporary workers for 72 hours to collect and dispose of animal waste from residential areas. These workers will be paid a fixed honorarium for the three days. At the same time, the three-day leave of regular sanitary workers will be cancelled, and they will receive an additional honorarium along with their salaries.

Collection and disposal mechanism

Under the cleanliness strategy, large plastic bags will be distributed at the union council level to residents who slaughter animals. Citizens will be instructed to place animal waste in these official bags outside their homes so sanitary workers can collect it for disposal.

Sanitary staff will make three rounds each day using small vehicles in streets and neighbourhoods to gather the waste. These smaller vehicles and carts will then move the waste to temporary dumping points to be set up on main roads in each union council.

From there, larger vehicles will continue transporting the waste to the Losar central landfill located outside the city for final disposal.

The arrangements are being put in place ahead of Eidul Azha to manage the expected increase in animal waste generated during the three days of sacrifice. The use of smaller transport vehicles has been planned specifically to ensure access to congested and narrow residential lanes, while temporary dumping sites on major roads will serve as transfer points before the waste is shifted out of the city.

The authorities’ preparations cover both municipal and cantonment areas of Rawalpindi, with the operation designed to run continuously during the Eid period through a combination of temporary labour, regular sanitary staff and hired transport and machinery.