In the heart of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, nestled between towering buildings and affluent neighborhoods, lie slum communities inhabited primarily by Christian families. These settlements, often forgotten by policymakers and ignored in city planning, areecoming increasingly vulnerable to the twin crises of climate change and environmental degradation.Among the most pressing concerns in these communities is the mismanagement of waste, which is now compounded by the unpredictable effects of climate change.Christian slum communities in these cities are facing environmental injustice and bearing the brunt of a growing climate crisis while already living under the pressure of social and economic marginalization.
Daily struggle with Waste for decades, the Christian slum areas in Islamabad and Rawalpindi have been plagued by improper waste disposal practices. Open dumps, clogged drainage systems, and piles of untreated garbage have become a familiar sight in neighborhoods such as France colony and Rimsha colony in Islamabad, as well as Dhoke Hassu in Rawalpindi, among many others.With few resources available to tackle the issue, these communities are left to live amidst heaps of garbage that attract vermin and breed disease.
“Our children play in areas filled with waste. There are no proper waste collection services, and the garbage just keeps piling up,” laments Maria, a resident of France Colony. “The local authorities don’t care about us.”The Christian community, already marginalized due to their faith, now faces an added layer of environmental neglect. Despite repeated requests to municipal authorities, there has been little effort to improve waste collection or provide proper sanitation services in these areas.Impact of climate change
Before climate change exacerbated their struggles, Christian slum dwellers in Islamabad and Rawalpindi were already grappling with challenges stemming from poverty, poor infrastructure, and inadequate access to sanitation services.Waste mismanagement has long been a persistent issue, but the intensifying effects of climate change have amplified these problems drastically. Extreme weather events, particularly in recent years, have worsened their living conditions.The rainfall of 2024, for instance, brought devastating consequences for these communities. Overflowing water from Nullah Lai stream swept through areas like Ganj Mandi, predominantly occupied by Christian slum dwellers.The floodwaters carried untreated waste through the streets, contaminating water supplies and spreading diseases such as cholera and dengue. Many homes were inundated, and residents lost their few possessions in the deluge. This recurring cycle of floods has made already dire living conditions unbearable.