- By: Muhammad Faisal
Before the election , we have witnessed many electoral campaigns by different political parties, and yet many campaign items which were made of plastic, polyethene, are still on streets, bazaars, shops and some banners and are now in main holes blocking the flow of water.
As the majority of the campaign items are made of Plastics, and this compound is not good for the environment, land and the fertility of the land, this particular compound has been used by Pakistani political parties during their campaigns. No political party, after their campaign in different regions of Pakistan, has done anything for the disposal of the extra waste that they have created, as the plastic can release harmful chemicals and toxins as it degrades, contaminating the soil and affecting its fertility. Furthermore, Plastic waste can interfere with the soil’s natural ability to retain water, leading to waterlogging or drought conditions, both of which can adversely affect plant growth and productivity.
Subsequently, this disposal issue is much higher in Malakand, Swat, Batkhela, Thana and Chakdara, as the political parties don’t clean up what they have pasted on many walls.
These particular regions have a rich soil and are considered to be one of the most healthy fruit cultivating areas. Yet there are no proper bodies and trash centres so they can recycle
and reuse the plastic. Political parties with their polyethene flags doubled the already existing issue.
No one in these regions are taking any responsibility, we have seen flags and posters made with plastic in different crops, fields, and grounds,etc. Plastic debris can get entangled in crops, affecting their growth and yield. It can also contaminate harvested produce, posing health risks to consumers.
While interviewing local of Thana, a shopkeeper described that “whenever it is election, different political parties stick their flags on top of each shops but they don’t take it off even after the election, what is more unusual that they don’t let us take it down, because they consider it to be disrespectful to their parties, they don’t look at the future, they just amuse themselves with temporary satisfaction.” The shopkeeper further said that “when it rains, these flags then get stuck in different water channels and prevent the water flow and the entire bazaar gets flooded.”
Another young fellow argued that “well the election campaign increased the unwanted plastic waste but the usage of this material is much higher, in Thana we don’t have any kind of
waste management team that can handle the waste of more than two lac people.” He further suggested that “we don’t want but we need a management team that can handle the
disposal of the waste and if possible reuse the waste.”
No matter who wins the election, it is a must for the upcoming local and federal government to work on waste management and yet working on this issue with passion because it is not an issue related to a town but it is an international issue , plastic is a dangerous waste material and by controlling and cleaning lands we can achieve much more than one individual could think.
Climate change is caused by man and the yearly disasters we see, we men are the ones who are responsible and we shall take responsibility to actually eliminate this issue.