IT is always recommended not to perform with great efficiency something that ought not to be performed at all. Imagine a country that first lets problems escalate into disasters and then devotes enormous resources to managing their consequences instead of permanently resolving them. In a PowerPoint-studded press briefing, soon after Eidul Azha last month, a senior minister of the Punjab government announced that the province had achieved a historic milestone by disposing of record-breaking 376,000 tonnes of animal waste and solid refuse,surpassing the 2025 record of 357,000 tonnes. The press briefing was loaded with praise for the Suthra Punjab programme and the leadership of the chief minister.

To execute this massive operation in the extreme summer heat, the Punjab government deployed over 184,000 sanitation workers and 40,000 vehicles that covered over six million kilometres in this operation. The government distributed 12m biodegradable waste bags, which were used by citizens to pack sacrificial remains — for pickup from their doorsteps. Because large disposal trucks cannot navigate narrow residential streets, the Punjab government created a three-tier waste transport system. Small vehicles picked up........

© Dawn