Fatima, a mother from Rawalpindi’s Dhok Hassu, watches helplessly as her six-year-old son struggles to breathe, his chest heaving with each cough. Every morning, thick smoke from burning waste invades their home, worsening his chronic asthma.
“I wake up to this haze every day,” she says, her voice filled with helplessness. “My son’s condition worsens with every breath,” she shared with APP, deeply concerned.
For Fatima and countless others in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the daily struggle is a fight for clean air and health. These cities, grappling with open waste burning, leave residents to bear the brunt of a persistent problem.
Fatima’s experience is common. In many low-income areas, poor waste management forces residents to burn trash to clear space or reduce pests.
Ahmed, a shopkeeper in Rawalpindi, has his own explanation and justification for the open waste burning, saying, “When garbage collectors don’t come for weeks, what else can we do?” .
Burning plastics, food scraps, and other waste materials releases a toxic mix of chemicals that harms both the environment and public health.
The pollutants from open burning are hazardous. Dr. Ejaz Ahmed, an environmentalist, warns that chemicals like dioxins, heavy metals, and fine particulate matter settle into our lungs, bloodstream, and even the food we consume. “The effects are devastating,” he says.
Pulmonologist Dr. Saira talking to APP highlighted the health crisis, particularly among children and the elderly. “Chronic exposure to polluted air is causing long-term lung damage and even lung cancer,” she says. Children, like Fatima’s son, are especially vulnerable, and many miss school due to illnesses. Parents struggle with expensive, ongoing treatments.
“The damage extends beyond human health. Green spaces in the twin cities are scarred by ash and toxic residues. Waste burning poisons the soil and water.Harmful chemicals are carried by rain into streams and underground water, disrupting ecosystems,”
explained Dr. Ejaz Ahmed, a well known environmantalist, in response to APP queries.
Local wildlife also suffers, with birds and pollinators like bees disappearing from urban parks, contributing to the loss of biodiversity.
Amid this crisis, informal waste pickers play a crucial role.
Gul Rahim, a waste picker in Islamabad, describes his dangerous work: “We do the work that no one else wants to do, yet we get no protection.” These workers, often from marginalized communities, sift through waste to recover recyclables without protective gear, putting their health at risk.
Open waste burning highlights weak policies and enforcement. Dr. Zeighum Abbas, Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, urges a holistic approach: “We need better waste segregation, collection, and recycling. Local governments must enforce penalties for burning, but also provide alternatives for disposal.”
Introducing controlled waste bins, more frequent garbage collection, and recycling incentives could help reduce burning, but these measures require strong enforcement and public cooperation.
Experts suggest several strategies to combat open waste burning, including encouraging waste segregation in households to separate recyclables, organic waste, and refuse; converting organic waste into nutrient-rich compost; setting up collection points and private recycling companies to alleviate landfill pressure; launching awareness campaigns and clean-up drives to shift public behavior; and enforcing stricter bans on open burning while ensuring waste management systems are functional.
Cities like Stockholm, Kigali, and Bengaluru have successfully reduced open waste burning by implementing robust policies. Islamabad and Rawalpindi have the potential to do the same with public support.
The air in Islamabad and Rawalpindi is thick with smoke, a daily reminder of the harm being done to the environment and public health. Families like Fatima’s are forced to live with polluted air and the threat of respiratory illness.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. The twin cities, once known for their greenery and fresh air, can reclaim their lost beauty. The choice is clear: continue suffering under pollution, or implement sustainable waste management practices for a cleaner, healthier future.
The time for action is now. Authorities, communities, and individuals must unite to demand cleaner air, safer waste disposal, and a better quality of life. Every fire lit today leaves behind a legacy of harm, one that future generations cannot afford to inherit.
