'Solid waste management policy unavoidable to protect environment'

Lacking a solid waste management policy (SWMP) for the metropolis is the mother of all the evils that have ruined city's environment. Even today, clean air and clean potable water, a basic necessity for normal growth of around three percent of total population, children up to age 5, is not available and whatever is available is packed with filth and pollutants.
A large portion of government's inappropriate spending on public health is wasted in non-development expenditures while plenty of funds is misappropriated. National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) chairman Muhammad Naeem Qureshi stated this while talking to a delegation of volunteers in the field of environment at NFEH office Friday.
Qureshi informed the delegation that as many as 13 different agencies control the metropolis and apart from these agencies that enjoy the administrative control of the city's posh cantonment areas that constitute around 72 percent of Karachi city are 18 town municipal administrations (TMAs) and City District Government Karachi (CDGK).
"The CDGK, being the sole authority for collecting the litter, garbage and waste from cantonment boards' limits has also failed to properly execute its public responsibility for disposing the litter to landfill sites located at a remote vicinity of the city," he said.
"None of the 13 agencies give a due share from the revenue to the CDGK nor do they endeavour to draw and finalise a solid waste policy." The daily production of the garbage and litter comes to around 9,500 metric tons of which only a faction is lifted and disposed. Of 217 garbage lifting vehicles, just 40 move around, he said adding that the financial crunch of the CDGK has been manifold and against receipts of Rs320 million from the provincial government, the CDGK has to meet non-development expenses of Rs1.25 billion. The fact is that corruption has ruined public utilities and there are dens of litter in every nook and cranny.-PR