Waste Piles Up in Southern Town

It’s as if no one is in charge in Qurghonteppa,” complains local man Said Ismoil. “I live in a village not far from town and every time I come back from the city market, I see piles of rubbish by the roadside . I’ve never ever seen them cleared away. It isn’t clear who’s responsible for this.”



City utilities department chief Nosir Rahimov says there simply aren’t the resources to clear the rubbish – not even to deal with the rinds of the 100 to 150 tonnes of melons brought into the city every day. Although the population has boomed, Rahimov only has a handful of vehicles at his disposal compared with the 40 garbage trucks the city had in Soviet times.



Tugay Eljonov, deputy head of the environmental agency for Khatlon region, which includes Qurghonteppa, says that whatever the financial implications, the municipal authorities must clear away the rubbish as it attracts rats carrying contagious diseases.



Eljonov notes that residents pay a refuse collection charge, and urges the mayor’s office to ensure its waste disposal service is properly funded. In addition, he says, no rubbish bins are being provided, so people throw their rubbish anywhere.