Sharjah
There is an issue that has been concerning me for a while within my residential community, Al Butina area in Sharjah. When garbage bins are kept besides the road, they are kept carelessly and are not placed in their designated areas. This causes them to be placed in the middle of a main road.
In my opinion, this is extremely dangerous, as it may cause inevitable accidents. When people drive onto the main road in the area, they often do not spot the garbage bins immediately and have have to turn dangerously to avoid colliding with them.
I have witnessed many such instances and I noticed that no one ever takes up the responsibility to take measures for the safety of the residents in the area.
Sometimes, I have noticed that the bins are also kept very close to parked cars (as seen in photograph). There are usually many cars parked around the area, but despite that no one takes up the initiative to move the bins away. The vehicles could get damaged if the bins were to move or even when motorists are trying to park in the spots near them.
What concerns me more is that there is no light around the bins, and people may not be able to see them or the trash placed around it in the evenings or late at night, making accidents inevitable.
Apart from this issue, there is also a lot of litter placed around the bins, which causes harm to the environment. There are broken furniture, plastic bags and a lot of food waste placed outside the bins, but this doesn’t get cleared very often by the municipal authorities.
Radhika Mishra, a resident of the same area, also voiced her concerns about this issue when I spoke to her. She is worried about how irresponsible people are, as despite the trash cans being placed there, people throw food and liquid waste outside it.
She said: “This leads to stench and breeding of pests in the area. People throw recyclable waste outside the trash cans, when they could be throwing it in the recycle bins that are placed around the area.”
She also raised her concerns with Bee’ah, Sharjah’s environmental management company. And even though their workers do clean the area regularly, she was told that it is not maintaned by the residents.
I believe that the Bee’ah workers cannot be blamed. However, people must be held responsible for littering and must take care of their surroundings. Mishra feels that imposing higher fines for littering may help in solving the issue.
She said: “Children can make a difference by spreading awareness about issues around them. They should take part in environmental activities.”
I hope that residents of the area become more careful regarding the issue of littering. Additionally, I hope that the concerned municipal authorities take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of residents and motorists.
Drivers also have to be very safe and alert when on roads so that they do not cause any accidents.
— The reader is a pupil based in Sharjah.
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Editor’s note: The reader’s complaint was raised with the management of Sharjah Municipality. However, despite repeated reminders, they did not respond.
