Over 70 years have elapsed since Karachi has expanded into one of biggest metropolitan cities, but its garbage and sewerage continues to be dumped into sea, creating an environmental disaster, with toxic waste killing fish and posing dangerous health hazard to citizens.
Unregulated and irregular construction added to mess that existed and different stakeholders and players blame each other, while none of them have made any efforts to resolve basic problem of garbage collection and keeping sewerage drains clear from being choked. Almost 15,000 tons of garbage is dumped daily in Karachi and other than blame game, there has been no effort for the past few decades to resolve issues, which other cities have managed to do the world over.
What has made matters worse is that only 40% of revenue collected from residents in the form of property tax and other services is collected by Sindh Government or Local Government and rest is collected by various Cantonment Boards, DHA etc. The Federal Government, the Provincial Government, the Local City Government had no issue when almost over 35,000 acres of land which could not be sold to anybody was allowed to be illegally occupied by powerful Land Mafia. All that is required is two to three thousand acres of land suitable for Landfill Dump site be allocated instead of criminally dumping it into sea.
The biggest landfill in USA which stores about nearly 50 Million tons is in a narrow valley in Apex area an hour north of Las Vegas. Ideal choice of landfill is an area surrounded by small mountains. The garbage is layered like sheet cakes beneath which pipes crisscross the land, carrying away the methane generated by decomposing garbage. Such garbage dumps exist all over the world.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Via email
