ISLAMABAD: Residents of Sector I-10/1 have expressed outrage over the continuous dumping of garbage from the federal capital near the Sabzi Mandi, saying it has made living in the area unbearable.

They have now pinned their hopes on the Environmental Protection Tribunal, which is hearing a contempt case related to the issue.

Residents said it had become difficult to live in the sector due to the stench from the garbage, which is dumped frequently but rarely removed. They have appealed to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to take notice and address the problem.

On Friday, announcements were made from local mosques, warning that residents would have no choice but to protest and block roads if the dumping did not stop.

Advocate High Court Saifullah Awan, while speaking to Dawn, said garbage had been dumped in front of Sector I-10 for the past several years, causing immense hardship to residents.

“Initially, in 2023, I filed a complaint with the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) and later submitted another application to the Director General of Pak-EPA, but no one paid attention.

Disappointed, I then filed a petition with the Environmental Protection Tribunal.

The Tribunal took up my case as thousands of residents of the sector, comprising around 3,000 houses, were suffering,” he said.

“The Tribunal summoned representatives of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and ruled in my favour. In its judgement [available with Dawn and issued under Section 21(3) of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997], the Tribunal declared that the CDA had established an illegal dumping site. It directed the CDA to consult residents and remove the garbage,” he added.

“However, the CDA did nothing, so I have now filed a contempt application with the Tribunal. I am hopeful that it will ensure a permanent resolution to this issue,” Advocate Awan said.

During Friday prayers, announcements were again made from mosques urging residents to prepare for protests if the CDA continued to ignore their grievances.

A resident of the sector, Shahid Nazir, told Dawn that the dumping had led to a rise in allergies and other diseases.

“Every day, several trucks bring garbage to the dumping site in front of I-10/1. If ten trucks dump waste, only about five pick it up, causing the garbage piles to keep growing. When we asked CDA officials why the waste was being dumped here, they said the authority had agreements with two private companies. We questioned why they didn’t take it directly out of the city, but received no satisfactory response,” he said.

Mr Nazir added that a large departmental store (Metro) was located on one side of the dumping area and the Fruit and Vegetable Market on the other.

Environmentalist Shahida Kausar, while speaking to Dawn, said it was unfortunate that Islamabad was turning into another Karachi because of unchecked garbage dumping within residential sectors.

“Such dumping sites become breeding grounds for viruses and bacteria, while also increasing the population of stray dogs and cats that feed there.

“It’s alarming that problems in the federal capital are escalating simply because no authority is willing to take responsibility. Environmental protection should be a top government priority, as it directly affects public health,” she stressed.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2025