Two new waste management projects announced

KARACHI: Funds have been allocated for two new waste management projects in Karachi and Shaheed Benazirabad in the budget for fiscal year 2016-2017.

These projects have been announced despite the fact that two projects previously initiated in the same cities still await release of funds. The provincial budget has allocated Rs20.731 billion for the local government department, out of which, the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board gets the third largest share of Rs2.459 billion while water supply and sanitation gets Rs5.436 billion and roads get Rs9.16 billion.

Ongoing schemes

On April 22, 2015, the Sindh government approved the establishment of six garbage transfer stations with Material Recovery (MR) and Refused Derived Fuel (RDF) facility in Karachi and allocated an amount of Rs1.79 billion. This year, the project has been allocated an amount of Rs1.502 million. As per the budget, the government will continue with the Integrated Solid Waste Management Project (Phase 1) in Shaheed Benazirabad with Rs0.28 billion, which was approved in 2015 with an allocation of Rs0.29 billion.

New schemes

The newer additions to the schemes in solid waste management include the development and scientific improvement of two existing landfill sanitary engineered sites in Karachi. This scheme has been allocated Rs0.275 billion. The other scheme, which has been allocated Rs0.1 billion, is the Phase 2 of the Integrated Solid Waste Management Project in Shaheed Benazirabad.

No will, no way

According to urban planner Farhan Anwar, the government lacks the political will in the most important projects. He explained that ever since its establishment, the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board has been a victim of power politics of existing municipal departments that did not let this department work according to its plan.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2016.