Impacts of solid waste management in Pakistan: a case study of Rawalpindi city

Improper solid waste management is causing negative impacts in Pakistan. To investigate the causes Rawalpindi city was selected as a case study. The situation is becoming very complex in the city due to industrialization, urbanization and improved living standards of urban areas, as these things are the cause of drastic increase in the quantity and complexity of generated waste. From this research, it is revealed that we have two major problems due to poor solid waste management, i.e. communicable diseases and unhygienic environment. Because of high growth rate, high waste generation rate, lack of efficient management and legislation, existing solid waste management systems in the city are not working properly. The main reasons for the failure of municipal solid waste management systems are unplanned annexation of the city, extreme weather conditions, lack of public awareness/community involvement, improper resources including improper equipment and lack of funds. Failure of the municipal solid waste management system has serious environmental impacts like infectious diseases, land and air pollution, blockage of drains and water pollution in natural streams.