Pakistan: Karachi’s municipal waste to be used for clean power generation
Deals signed to launch waste-to-energy project under public-private partnership
Karachi: Agreements have been signed with leading power sector companies to safely use garbage collected in Karachi for production of clean electricity.
The Sindh government’s Energy Department, Local Government Department, and Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) have joined hands to launch the project under the public-private partnership.
The proposed waste-to-energy project will consume 6,000 tonnes to 8,000 tonnes of trash generated daily in the city. Work on the project will start immediately.
Up to 16,000 tonnes of municipal waste generated in Karachi daily creates serious issues for its residents as massive resources are required for timely and safe disposal of the trash every day.
The SSWMB has hired the services of Chinese companies for the purpose.
Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Energy Minister, Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh, said the proposed waste-to-energy project would generate 175 Megawatts of clean electricity with an investment of $600 million.
He said the Sindh government would provide the land near Karachi landfill site for launching the project that would go a long way in keeping the city clean and green.
Shaikh said the project would be extended to other major cities of Sindh as well after its successful execution in Karachi.
He said the government’s Energy and Local Government Departments had collaborated with each other to unveil the project that would be a milestone in the proper disposal of the municipal waste generated in the city.
He said the project had been launched in accordance with the slogan of the government “Green Energy, Clean Karachi” which reflected the vision of Chairman of Pakistan People’s Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, that stood for increasing green cover in Karachi after tackling the issue of its municipal waste.
Karachi’s Administrator, Barrister Murtaza Wahab, also spoke on the occasion and appreciated that the plan had been kicked off to safely dispose of tonnes of municipal waste daily generated in the provincial capital.
He said the project would go a long way to overcome the issue of environmental pollution in the city, as, after its successful execution in Karachi, similar projects would be launched in other urban centres of the province.