Daily Times

KARACHI: Central Development Working Party (CDWP) of Planning Division, after completing deliberations on combined effluent treatment plants (CETP) of six industrial estates in Karachi, sent recommendations to Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final approval.

From the total cost of Rs 11 billion, Ministry of Commerce under Export Development Fund will share 33 percent, while Sindh government would bear 67 percent under Provincial Annual Development Programme.

It was expected that the ECNEC would likely approve the project by November 2017 after which Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) would execute the project under a project director appointed by Sindh government.

In addition to these CETPs, Karachi Port Trust (KPT) would also establish a plant near Mai Kolachi Road to treat more than 60 million gallon of sewage daily with KWSB.

Introduction and operation of CETPs would help industrialists to run these plants and operational and maintenance cost would be paid by users and industries who would be charged by KWSB.

It would aid efforts of most polluting industries for adoption of cost effective waste minimisation.

Annual operating cost would be met through user charges collected from the industries based on volumetric flow CDM/carbon credit may also be a source of additional funding.

The surrounding community would obtain health benefits from improvement of environment in their respective areas and also the biophysical aspects.

Experts suggest CETP has now become a prerequisite for economic growth in international market and global buyers would opt to conduct business with those industrial units which are environmentally compliant and a functional CETP would be very beneficial to promote economic development.

Studies suggest ecology of coastal areas is worsening day by day, as more than 500 million gallons per day of untreated sewerage is being released in the sea.

The financial analysis of project has been carried for each member treatment plant by calculating financial internal rate of return (FIRR), net present value NPV and cost benefit ratio (8CA orca), although the FIRR becomes meaningless for non-profit operations, but is a good tool for ascertaining sustainable tariff, Therefore, FIRR, NPV and BCA are calculated on discount rate of 5.61%, 6.67% and 12% (SDR) and project found financially feasible.

Design and supervision consultancy, consultancy cost for design and supervision services is taken as 2% of total project cost as per direction of government of Sindh.

Earlier, on directives of Sindh Environmental Tribunal, 35 industrial units had been directed to establish in-house waste water treatment plants and prepare environmental management plans for taking appropriate measures to control pollution.

Around more than 130 environmental protection notices had also been issued to hospitals and industries, against which 100 letters had been issued for personal hearings.

Published in Daily Times, October 28^th 2017.