KARACHI (HRNW)-: Senior leader of the Insaf Lawyers Forum (ILF) Karachi, Advocate Hasnain Ali Chauhan, has expressed serious concern over the worsening waste crisis in the city, saying that Karachi generates around 15,000 metric tonnes of solid waste every day, of which only about 8,000 tonnes is collected.
The remaining waste, he said, continues to accumulate on roads, in streets, neighbourhoods and storm-water drains. More than 1.2 million tonnes of waste is currently lying across the city, which, according to him, reflects administrative failure and an ineffective sanitation system.
Mr Chauhan said heaps of garbage were not only damaging the city’s environment but also creating serious health hazards by causing foul smells and providing breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other disease-carrying organisms. The dumping of waste into drains was also severely affecting the drainage system and increasing the risk of urban flooding during rains, he added.
He said several countries around the world were treating waste as a source of energy rather than merely a problem requiring disposal. Karachi, being a major metropolitan city, could also convert thousands of tonnes of daily waste into electricity through modern waste-to-energy projects.
Such projects, he said, could help address the city’s growing waste problem while also contributing to efforts to reduce the impact of load-shedding and rising electricity prices.
Mr Chauhan called upon the Sindh government and relevant municipal authorities to formulate a comprehensive solid waste management policy for Karachi on an emergency basis. He urged the authorities to ensure timely collection and scientific disposal of waste and immediately initiate work on waste-to-energy projects.
He further said that Karachi’s citizens paid billions of rupees in taxes and other revenues but were still being deprived of a clean environment, effective sanitation and basic municipal services.
“The government must move beyond political statements and take practical measures to provide Karachi’s citizens their fundamental right to a clean and healthy environment,” he said.
