The Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) has chalked out a plan to reserve around 500 acres for the disposal of waste being generated by industries and hospitals. Credible sources told Business Recorder that the move is primarily aimed at ensuring proper dumping of tons of toxic effluents produced by the metropolitan everyday. The SSWMB has failed to produce desired results for making the city clean. At SSWMB meeting, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah asked all the concerned institutions to extend their support to SSWMB so that they could perform to the best of their capacity purely on modern and scientific lines in the interest of Karachi and Karachiites.
Sindh Minister for Local Government Jam Khan Shoro and SSWMB MD gave presentations. They said that the SSWMB was created for collection, transport and disposal of solid waste in Karachi and other cities/towns of the province, in an efficient, scientific, holistic and integrated manner. The Board is responsible for collection and disposal of solid and other wastes including industrial waste; medical/hospital waste; agricultural waste.
Shoro said that total waste generation of the city is about 12,000 tons per day, out of which 9,000 tons of waste is generated in municipal areas including DMCs and District Council of Karachi. The remaining 3,000 tons of waste is generated in areas of other civic administrative bodies such as six Cantonment boards, SITE, KPT, Pakistan Railways, CAA etc. He said the SSWMB has three basic components such as front-end collection, middle-end Garbage Transfer Stations (GTS), back-end SWM Services ie Landfill Site (LFS).
Currently, transportation cost regarding solid waste management services is very high because the landfill sites are 35 km away from the city centre that means 70 km up and down while this distance is over 50 km (+100 km up-down) from many areas of Karachi. The meeting was told that two landfill sites (LFS) of 500 acres each, Jam Chakro and Gaond Pass are simply dumping grounds and don't meet international standards of 'Sanitary Landfill Sites'.
On the request of the SSWMB, the CM directed chief secretary to provide land for establishment of two GTS for district Central, two for District Korangi. Murad Shah was told that Rehabilitation of existing Landfill sites and their conversion into Sanitary Landfill Sites (LFS) is a very important component of Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Management. The Revenue Department has allocated two pieces of land of 500 acres each, in Deh Jam Chakro and Gaond Pass area, for Landfill sites. The SSWMB has taken over the operation and maintenance of both sites from KMC and plans to rehabilitate and convert them into scientifically designed sanitary Landfill Sites as per international standards. But the land is being encroached day and night. The chief minister directed the administration to remove the encroachments and report him.
The chief minister directed chief secretary to provide adjacent 3000 acres of land from N.C. No. 136, Deh Dhabeji and Chak No. 1 Malir for establishment of new LFS for Karachi.
He was told that the SSWMB has planned to reserve 200 acres for Hospital Waste Disposal Site (including Incinerator) and 300 acres for Industrial Solid Waste Disposal Site. A consultant firm has already been hired which is carrying out 'Techno- Economic Feasibility Study' of the scheme, including designing of the LFS as an ADP Project. Murad directed the commissioner and additional IGP Karachi to begin operation against land grabbers in all parts of Karachi and report him.
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