Rotting Eid waste sparks health crisis
The site, already overwhelmed, is now emitting a foul stench worsened by recent monsoon rains and sunshine.
Animal remains dumped over the past month have become a breeding ground for disease.
Residents report outbreaks of eye infections, stomach and throat ailments, hepatitis, cancer, and various skin diseases in surrounding areas.
In addition to Rawalpindi's waste, garbage from the newly formed Murree district and its Kotli Sattian tehsil is also being dumped at Losar. Around 20-30 garbage trucks from Islamabad and 30-40 from Rawalpindi offload waste here daily, without proper disposal — vehicles simply dump the trash in open areas.
The 1,200-kanal landfill has turned into a mountain range of filth. Attempts by locals to prevent Islamabad's waste from being dumped in Rawalpindi have failed.
The Environmental Protection and Climate Change Department has upheld the practice, and court battles initiated by residents have also ended in defeat.
Locals Chaudhry Raheel, Fayaz Gilani, and Haji Ibrahim said they set up a medical camp near the dumping ground and conducted check-ups for area residents.
Results claimed that 65 per cent of the people were infected with hepatitis, with cases also found among children. Eye and throat diseases were widespread.
They added that during the previous PTI-led Punjab government, plans were approved to shift the dumping ground to Chak Beli Khan — a remote area.
Land covering 1,000 kanals was acquired for this purpose, and a modern waste disposal plant, including a project to generate electricity from residual waste, was approved. The current government has shelved the project.
Deputy Medical Superintendent of Benazir Bhutto General Hospital, Dr Inayat, stated that medical and lab waste often ends up in the dumping ground and must be treated with special equipment.
If not, it poses serious health risks. He emphasised that chemical sprays should be applied daily at the site and that waste should be buried in dug-out pits rather than dumped openly.
Fayaz Gilani, chairman of a local action committee, said surveys show the waste has contaminated underground water. The group now plans to file a petition in the Rawalpindi bench of the High Court.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Stanford study warns AI chatbots fall short on mental health support
The study also found commercial mental health chatbots, like those from and 7cups, performed worse than base models and lacked regulatory oversight, despite being used by millions. PHOTO: PEXELS Listen to article AI chatbots like ChatGPT are being widely used for mental health support, but a new Stanford-led study warns that these tools often fail to meet basic therapeutic standards and could put vulnerable users at risk. The research, presented at June's ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency, found that popular AI models—including OpenAI's GPT-4o—can validate harmful delusions, miss warning signs of suicidal intent, and show bias against people with schizophrenia or alcohol dependence. In one test, GPT-4o listed tall bridges in New York for a person who had just lost their job, ignoring the possible suicidal context. In another, it engaged with users' delusions instead of challenging them, breaching crisis intervention guidelines. Read More: Is Hollywood warming to AI? The study also found commercial mental health chatbots, like those from and 7cups, performed worse than base models and lacked regulatory oversight, despite being used by millions. Researchers reviewed therapeutic standards from global health bodies and created 17 criteria to assess chatbot responses. They concluded that AI models, even the most advanced, often fell short and demonstrated 'sycophancy'—a tendency to validate user input regardless of accuracy or danger. Media reports have already linked chatbot validation to dangerous real-world outcomes, including one fatal police shooting involving a man with schizophrenia and another case of suicide after a chatbot encouraged conspiracy beliefs. Also Read: Grok AI coming to Tesla cars soon, confirms Elon Musk However, the study's authors caution against viewing AI therapy in black-and-white terms. They acknowledged potential benefits, particularly in support roles such as journaling, intake surveys, or training tools—with a human therapist still involved. Lead author Jared Moore and co-author Nick Haber stressed the need for stricter safety guardrails and more thoughtful deployment, warning that a chatbot trained to please can't always provide the reality check therapy demands. As AI mental health tools continue to expand without oversight, researchers say the risks are too great to ignore. The technology may help—but only if used wisely.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
UN reports 798 deaths near Gaza aid hubs in six weeks
The UN rights office said on Friday it had recorded at least 798 killings within the past six weeks at aid points in Gaza run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and near convoys run by other relief groups. The GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to get supplies into Gaza, largely bypassing a UN-led system that Israel alleges has let Hamas-led militants loot aid shipments intended for civilians. Hamas denies the allegation. After the deaths of hundreds of Palestinian civilians trying to reach the GHF's aid hubs in zones where Israeli forces operate, the United Nations has called its aid model "inherently unsafe" and a violation of humanitarian impartiality standards. "(From May 27) up until the seventh of July, we've recorded 798 killings, including 615 in the vicinity of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, and 183 presumably on the route of aid convoys," UN rights office (OHCHR) spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told a media briefing in Geneva. The GHF, which began distributing food packages in Gaza in late May after Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade, told Reuters the UN figures were "false and misleading". It denies that deadly incidents have occurred at its sites. "The fact is the most deadly attacks on aid site have been linked to UN convoys," a GHF spokesperson said. "Ultimately, the solution is more aid. If the UN (and) other humanitarian groups would collaborate with us, we could end or significantly reduce these violent incidents." The OHCHR said it based its figures on sources such as information from hospitals in Gaza, cemeteries, families, Palestinian health authorities, NGOs and its partners on the ground. Most of the injuries to Palestinians in the vicinity of aid distribution hubs recorded by the OHCHR since May 27 were gunshot wounds, Shamdasani said. "We've raised concerns about atrocity crimes having been committed and the risk of further atrocity crimes being committed where people are lining up for essential supplies such as food," she said. After the GHF assertion that the OHCHR figures are false and misleading, Shamdasani said: "It is not helpful to issue blanket dismissals of our concerns - what is needed is investigations into why people are being killed while trying to access aid." The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has previously cited instances of violent pillaging of aid, and the UN World Food Programme said last week that most trucks carrying food assistance into Gaza had been intercepted by "hungry civilian communities".
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Express Tribune
Rotting Eid waste sparks health crisis
Massive heaps of waste, including animal entrails, blood and trash from Eidul Azha sacrifices, have piled up to 15-20 feet high at the Losar dumping ground in Rawalpindi. The site, already overwhelmed, is now emitting a foul stench worsened by recent monsoon rains and sunshine. Animal remains dumped over the past month have become a breeding ground for disease. Residents report outbreaks of eye infections, stomach and throat ailments, hepatitis, cancer, and various skin diseases in surrounding areas. In addition to Rawalpindi's waste, garbage from the newly formed Murree district and its Kotli Sattian tehsil is also being dumped at Losar. Around 20-30 garbage trucks from Islamabad and 30-40 from Rawalpindi offload waste here daily, without proper disposal — vehicles simply dump the trash in open areas. The 1,200-kanal landfill has turned into a mountain range of filth. Attempts by locals to prevent Islamabad's waste from being dumped in Rawalpindi have failed. The Environmental Protection and Climate Change Department has upheld the practice, and court battles initiated by residents have also ended in defeat. Locals Chaudhry Raheel, Fayaz Gilani, and Haji Ibrahim said they set up a medical camp near the dumping ground and conducted check-ups for area residents. Results claimed that 65 per cent of the people were infected with hepatitis, with cases also found among children. Eye and throat diseases were widespread. They added that during the previous PTI-led Punjab government, plans were approved to shift the dumping ground to Chak Beli Khan — a remote area. Land covering 1,000 kanals was acquired for this purpose, and a modern waste disposal plant, including a project to generate electricity from residual waste, was approved. The current government has shelved the project. Deputy Medical Superintendent of Benazir Bhutto General Hospital, Dr Inayat, stated that medical and lab waste often ends up in the dumping ground and must be treated with special equipment. If not, it poses serious health risks. He emphasised that chemical sprays should be applied daily at the site and that waste should be buried in dug-out pits rather than dumped openly. Fayaz Gilani, chairman of a local action committee, said surveys show the waste has contaminated underground water. The group now plans to file a petition in the Rawalpindi bench of the High Court.
