As the urban population grows and the amount of waste increases, the shortage of trash bins has become a major challenge for residents of Ghazni City, the capital of Ghazni Province.
A number of residents of Ghazni City say that garbage is left for days along roadsides, in drainage channels and near homes in some areas. This causes bad smells, pollution and the spread of diseases. According to them, the areas with most accumulated waste include Qala-e Amir Mohammad Khan Road, Pol-e Haidarabad, Moi Mubarak, Sai Do Ab and other parts of the city.
Gulabuddin, a resident of the Pol-e Haidarabad area, says that the accumulation of waste makes it difficult for him to move around the area.
“There is a large amount of garbage that people throw in this area and into the canal. It causes bad smells, especially at noon and in the afternoon, and can contribute to the spread of various diseases,” he adds.
Bashir, another resident of Ghazni, says, “Garbage remains for days in some areas, such as Khwaja Ali Road, Moi Mubarak, Pol-e Haidarabad and Qala-e Amir Mohammad Khan. There are no trash bins in these areas, and more should be installed so that people can use them.”
Some other residents of Ghazni City say that the shortage of trash bins and some people’s failure to keep public areas clean have contributed to the accumulation of waste in the city.
Ahmad Helal, a resident of Ghazni, says the lack of trash bins in some parts of the city has led people to throw waste along roadsides.
“There are very few trash bins in the city, and people do not cooperate properly either. Garbage accumulates in one place, causing problems for local residents,” he adds.
Mohammad Seddiq, another resident of Ghazni, says: “There are few trash bins in the city. Some people drink soft drinks and throw the cans away, making the city untidy. We ask the municipality to install more trash bins so that waste can be collected and people can be relieved of this problem.”
A number of doctors warn that accumulation of waste can causes germs to spread and increase skin diseases. Mohammad Ashraf Sahebzada, a dermatologist, says,
“Poor public hygiene and environmental cleanliness create favorable conditions for the spread of digestive, respiratory and skin diseases. When contaminated materials come into contact with food, they can contribute to the spread of microbes and parasites, causing various digestive diseases.”
Meanwhile, officials at Ghazni Municipality say that a lack of cooperation from some residents in waste collection, a shortage of trash bins and the growing amount of waste have made waste management more difficult.
Zia-ur Rahman Rashidi, General Manager of the Ghazni Municipality’s Sanitation Department, says the municipality collects about 840 cubic meters of waste from the city and transports it to a disposal site.
“We are trying to find a company that can recycle the waste after it is collected and transported. The mayor has met with several companies, and efforts are underway to find a suitable company that can recycle the waste after it is taken to the disposal site,” he adds.
Based on figures provided by the Ghazni Municipality, there are currently 200 trash bins in the city, and the municipality plans to install more than 250 additional bins in the near future.
The Ghazni Department of Environmental Protection also emphasizes that the lack of waste recycling is a serious problem for waste management. Hekmatullah Mehran, General Manager of Public Relations at the department, says,
“The Ghazni Department of Environmental Protection conducts regular monthly and quarterly monitoring. We hope that the companies we have contacted will help improve waste management and recycling, which is good for both the environment and the municipality.”
The lack of a waste recycling system, along with the growing amount of urban waste, has become a major environmental challenge in Ghazni. Although the municipality collects hundreds of cubic meters of waste each week, burying it directly without sorting or recycling can increase soil and water pollution, cause bad smells and contribute to the spread of diseases.
Reporter: Turyalai Tabesh
