KABUL (SW) – Rampant and unchecked litter at various points in the Kabul River has irked the city dwellers sparking concerns about pollution and water-born diseases.
Jawid, a resident of the “Shashdarak” area of Kabul city, says that as the weather warms up and the water level in the Kabul River decreases, the stench and garbage increases. He adds: “When the river becomes dry and the air warms, the litter increases as people throw all sorts of things, plastic and garbage into it. We ask people to participate in the cleanliness of Kabul city.”
Sediqullah, who owns a shop by the river in the city, says that the accumulation of garbage has made him sick. He adds: “No attention has been paid to the Kabul River and our request is that they take care of it. If the environment is dirty, we get sick and it causes a hundred other problems.”
Abdul Wase, a resident of Makrorian-3 of Kabul city, wants the Kabul Municipality to put garbage bins in different parts of the Kabul river. “Our request to the government is to put garbage bins in every area on the edge of the river or wherever it is, and the people should also cooperate.”
Meanwhile, officials in Kabul Municipality say that they have created a monitoring team to protect Kabul River from garbage. Nematullah Barekzai, the spokesperson of the municipality, says that they are working together with other departments to clean the Kabul River.
He adds: “We have a monitoring team to ensure that shopkeepers do not throw away their garbage, but in terms of sediment cleaning and additional cleaning in coordination with other departments, we will have our future activities soon.”
Earlier, Kabul Municipality called throwing garbage in the River as a violation and asked the citizens who live along the river to refrain from doing this. Kabul Municipality has warned that in case of violation, it will deal with the violators legally.
