Withdrawal pushes Shadman Colony into a sanitation emergency
THE sudden and unexplained withdrawal of sanitation services by Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP), Zone-C, since March 2024 has plunged Shadman Colony (Lakhkarabad), located off Canal Road near University Town, Peshawar, into an alarming civic and public health crisis that continues to worsen with each passing day.
For a locality comprising over 100 households — many of whom have been residing here since 1992 — this is not merely an inconvenience, but a complete collapse of essential municipal service delivery that the residents have long depended upon.
Prior to March 2024, WSSP Zone-C had been regularly and effectively providing comprehensive sanitation services in the area. These included routine emptying of garbage containers, daily sweeping of Street No. 1 and periodic cleaning and maintenance of drainage lines. The system was functional, structured and responsive, meeting the basic needs of the community without disruption.
With the abrupt cessation of these services, the entire sanitation infrastructure has deteriorated rapidly. There is currently no garbage container available in the locality, forcing residents to dispose of waste in open spaces. Food waste and household refuse quickly decompose, creating foul odors and attracting pests, rodents and stray animals — conditions that are entirely unacceptable in a populated residential area.
The state of the drainage system is equally alarming. In the absence of regular cleaning, drain lines are now completely choked, leading to stagnant wastewater accumulating in streets. Street No. 1, once maintained through routine sweeping, now presents a visibly filthy and neglected environment. The cumulative effect is a hazardous living condition that poses serious risks to public health, hygiene and environmental safety for every resident.
Despite exhausting all available administrative channels — including formal representations to the Chief Secretary, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Secretary Local Government, Additional Secretary Local Government and a direct complaint to the Chief Minister’s Office on August 12, 2024 — the issue remains completely unresolved. Even where directives have reportedly been issued, there has been no effective implementation on the ground whatsoever. This reflects a deeper governance concern: a troubling disconnect between policy direction and operational execution. Repeated correspondence without enforcement has reduced a critical civic issue to a mere cycle of paperwork, while residents continue to suffer the very real and daily consequences. This is a matter that demands urgent and decisive intervention at the highest level of government.
I respectfully call upon the Honorable Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Sohail Afridi and the Minister for Local Government, Mr. Meena Khan, to take immediate notice of this serious and ongoing lapse in public service delivery. The restoration of sanitation services in Shadman Colony must be treated as an urgent priority, with clear directives, strict accountability mechanisms and a time-bound action plan for WSSP to comply fully and without further delay.
Access to basic sanitation is a fundamental right of every citizen. Its denial, especially in a planned and long-established residential area, is not only unacceptable — it is indefensible. The time for action is now.
—The writer is contributing columnist.
