Trade body questions SSWMB’s performance

Takes objection to mismanagement by Chinese company, wants cleaning to be handed back to local bodies

KARACHI:

The Municipal Workers Trade Unions Alliance (MWTUA) has raised serious concerns about the financial burden caused by the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) and its inability to ensure clea nliness in Karachi.

Despite substantial monthly expenditures, the city's cleanliness is deteriorating, he said adding that the machinery provided by Chinese companies has proven to be unreliable, with 70 per cent of vehicles becoming obsolete within just four to five years, and 80 per cent of garbage rickshaws have become unusable in just two years, said the spokesperson to the MWTUA.

Additionally, a staggering 90 per cent of Chinese company drivers lack proper training, leading to vehicles malfunctioning.

The spokesman said that the mismanagement aggravates the situation as government machinery, needing immediate repair, is dumped at a site while technical staff resort to replace parts from one vehicle to the other.

Chinese staff avoid going to the field or workshop on security concerns.

In response to these alarming revelations, the alliance's leader, Syed Zulfikar Shah, is preparing to issue a white paper, gathering evidence to expose the corruption.

As a result of such blatant corruption, the need for the Solid Waste Management Board has become questionable, and the spokesperson suggests that the responsibility of sanitation should be handed back to the local bodies. Sanitary workers should be recruited, modern machinery should be acquired, and littering should be criminalised, with appropriate punishments for offenders, he urged.

The spokesperson has demanded a third-party audit of development works and drain cleaning projects and called for the cancellation of permissions granted in respect of parking.

Urgent action is required to address these issues and restore cleanliness and efficiency to Karachi's waste management system, he said.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2023.