Photo: File

KARACHI: The Sindh government will proceed against those littering the city's public places, bazaars and roads. A notification issued by the Sindh home department on Monday states, anyone found dumping garbage on public property will be prosecuted. 

While the department's attempts to clear trash piles from Karachi and Hyderabad have not been as successful as anticipated, especially considering the political spats and rising costs, it has, however, banned littering in places that are not designated garbage dumps.

Further, the notification added that action will also be taken against anyone who resorts to burning rubbish piles in the city's public places, bazaars or roads.

The dumping of trash in open areas does not only pollute the environment but also affect the health of those living there, stated the notification.

The water commission appointed on the orders of Supreme Court had taken notice of industrial, medical and domestic waste being dumped in open areas.

During a hearing held earlier in February, Justice (retd) Ami Hani Muslim, who was heading the commission, observed that there was no improvement in the state of sanitation in Karachi. While talking about his recent visit around the city, he mentioned of seeing garbage dumped unattended on various spots of the metropolis.

Justice (retd) Amir Hani also spoke about the cleanliness of public hospitals, telling the provincial health secretary that a very sorry state of hygiene was observed during his recent inspection of the facilities in Karachi.

He said public hospitals were not disposing medical waste as per rules, therefore, it could be seen dumped in streets close to the hospitals, one of them being Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital in the city.

Health Secretary Fazlullah Pechuho admitted to the facts and said his department would make efforts to improve the condition.