Sharjah
I have been a resident of the Al Nasseriya Area in Sharjah for the past four years and the sight of overflowing garbage is one that bothers us and other residents of this area on a daily basis (as seen in photograph).
This issue has been there for almost two years. Initially, I would not bother with it and just ignore the dump as I walked past. I thought it wasn’t my problem. But, when you see so much garbage lying around every time you step out of your home, it starts affecting you.
Children are seen playing in this area, and it is an extremely unhygienic environment for them. Many families are living nearby, as it is a completely residential area with hundreds of villas. Residents of the area dispose off trash in two large bins placed in the area. When they get full, people start throwing trash bags around them. We can see that the capacity of the bins is not enough for the residents.
The overflowing bins are located around 50 metres away from my home and the horrible stench floats in. The entire area stinks! When I walk to the mosque, which is about a 100 metres away from my home, I have to pass by this pile of trash and it is extremely unpleasant.
The municipal trucks come by in the early morning, when I’m on my way for the Fajr prayers, to collect the trash. This is also an issue, as people are sleeping. But, the bigger issue is that the capacity of the truck also cannot contain the amount of trash this area seems to produce. The garbage is a lot more. The municipality should consider placing more trash bins in the area, as there are only two at the moment, but the amount of trash could fill up to four bins.
I see them coming every day, and they are clearing the bins. They also do surveys and some very professional work, which is good. But, it seems like the issue of the lack of bins is being ignored. The bins are cleared in the morning, but by evening, they are full. And this is not just in our area, the neighbouring areas seem to have a similar issue.
I understand if this is the case on Fridays, when the municipal authorities might be on leave, but it is the same on weekdays. In fact, it is worse on Friday evenings, when the waste has added up for two days and the smell becomes unbearable.
When the trash bags are left lying on the ground, stray cats arrive at the site and start to tear them open and create a mess. Sometimes people throw the bags on to the wall and they tear and the contents are left smeared on the paint. It is a dirty picture and smells terrible.
The roads are also not paved, which is another issue in this area. And no actions seems to be taken. I see people from the cleaning company just walking around. They pick up the trash in some areas, others they don’t pay any attention to. It hurts me to see this, and I wonder why no one is paying attention.
— The reader is a designer based in Sharjah.
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FACTS:
The reader’s concerns were raised with the management of Sharjah Municipality.
They stated: “We would like to assure the concerned reader that the garbage in the area has been collected immediately. Although there are garbage containers in the area, there are some reckless people who misuse them and insist on throwing the waste outside the containers, one of which at least seen in the picture empty. The garbage trucks of Beeah go to every corner of the city according to a preplanned schedule to ensure the garbage is properly collected at due times. We call on the public to keep the city clean and always put the waste in the designated containers.”
