Daily Times

KARACHI: Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) have signed an agreement for a period of seven years with Hangzhor Jinjiang Group Environment Sanitation Service Company Limited, China, for lifting and dumping of garbage from limits of West and Malir District Municipal Corporations.

Henry Xing Chief Executive Officer of Company said after three months Company would undertake the job with its own machinery and supervisory staff. The accord has a funds consideration of more than Rs 2 billion.

Earlier a Chinese company under agreements with South and East districts has been engaged on this particular job since March 2017.

Talking to Daily Times, Dr Attar Das Sajnani Director General (DG) of Board has informed that Company would lift garbage on daily basis from door steps with the employed districts corporation work force and dump at Garbage Transfer Stations (GTS) at various sites within district limits. Later garbage would be shifted to landfill sites Deh Jam Ckakro and Deh Gund Pass, he added.

SSWMA would pay 25 percent extra money other than monthly salary to employees, he informed.

Ghulam Fareed, Administrator West and Jan Muhammad Baloch, Chairman Malir DMC were of the view that by employing services of Chinese company, we would cater better sanitation services to the district people. We would also learn modern techniques about this job, they maintained.

District west comprises 30 union councils while Malir district has 22 union councils within its administrative precinct.

A total volume of 3,000 tonnes garbage is accumulated on daily basis in both districts.

Six Cantonment Boards have already rejected proposal of SSWMB for same job by claiming that they did not come under umbrella of SSWMB.

In addition, Korangi and Central Districts Municipal Corporations and federal government institutions have also negated to work with SSWMB in this particular sphere of job.

For upgrading solid waste management system in Karachi and after involvement of SSWMB with district municipal corporations, role of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation in this regard has been terminated under a law for collection and transportation of waste. New GTS were being set up at Mewa Shah Graveyard, Korangi Causeway Malir River, Shariffi Goth Cemetery Landhi, Sufoora Goth near Race Course, Nazarat Ground Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Shorab Goth near Lyari Expressway.

After SSWMB Act into power, collection and transport of waste has now been responsibility of DMCs in collaboration with SSWMB.

Around 12,000 tonnes of waste per day is being accumulated in city and volume is still increasing so there is a dire need to ponder into pros and cons of the matter.

Published in Daily Times, August 28^th 2017.