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RAWALPINDI: A two-week-long “Safai Nisf Iman hai” cleanliness drive initiated by the Rawalpindi Waste Management (RWMA) was underway to keep the city neat and clean despite the rains.According to RWMC spokesman, Chief Executive Officer Rana Sajid Safdar deputed additional sanitary workers to clean and dredge major drains to avoid urban flooding. The RWMC cleaned nullahs and choked drains during continued rainfall since last night to ensure sanitation in several city areas.He said additional staff had been assigned duties in three shifts to ensure cleanliness round the clock during rains so that some sanitation-related problems could not become hurdles in the smooth water flow.He informed RWMC workers removed hundreds of tonnes of waste in the Rawalpindi city areas while drains blocked during the rain had been opened immediately. He said that complaints received on social media platforms were also being addressed instantly.The spokesman informed that to create awareness about cleanliness, the social mobilization and communication team of RWMC today organized an awareness session at Punjab Group of Colleges in Union Council-26. The teams also lectured the students and college staff about the importance and effectiveness of cleanliness and requested the citizens to participate in the cleanliness campaign.RWMC has appealed to the citizens not to throw garbage and plastic bags in nullahs and drains, which cause hindrance. It would utilize all its resources to keep the city environment-friendly. In case of any complaint, citizens were asked to register their complaints on helpline number 1139, which would be rectified immediately, he added.
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