Residents of rural Sargodha say sanitation services have collapsed, accusing the provincial cleanliness programme Suthra Punjab of widespread negligence as overflowing sewage, uncollected garbage and blocked drains worsen living conditions. Villagers in Chak 90 South told local media that sanitation workers have been absent for months, leaving drains clogged and streets littered. They reported sewage seeping into house foundations, raising fears of structural damage and health hazards.
Citizens across several neighbourhoods, including parts of the PP-74 constituency, said repeated complaints to authorities produced no meaningful response. Waste collection has effectively stopped in many areas, they said, and heaps of rubbish remain scattered in the streets. Some residents alleged that a small number of sanitation staff were being deployed to the homes of influential locals while ordinary neighbourhoods were neglected.
Locals have urged the Sargodha commissioner and deputy commissioner to probe alleged negligence by Suthra Punjab officials and to restore regular sanitation services in the worst-affected areas.
Suthra Punjab spokesperson Mian Maqsood disputed the residents’ version, saying repeated desilting operations had been carried out but that people continued to dump garbage into drains. He also claimed some designated village dumping sites had been illegally occupied and built over.
Officials acknowledged they had received complaints about negligent behaviour by certain workers, though supervisors were reportedly unavailable for comment, according to Dawn.
Separately, owners of donkey carts staged protests outside the municipal corporation office against restrictions on cart access to the city. They warned the ban endangered their livelihoods and said cart drivers were being harassed, adding another local grievance tied to municipal policy.
(Original reporting sourced from ANI and Dawn.)
