KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday gave approval for the launch of a $1.6 billion Karachi Water & Sewerage Improvement Programme to make the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KSWB) operationally, financially and institutionally viable. The share of the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in the project would be 40 per cent each while the government contribution would be 20pc.

He also agreed to work with a Turkish company on the public-private partnership (PPP) mode to integrate solid waste management under which the company would be responsible to collect trash door to door, transfer garbage to the garbage transfer stations (GTS) where the rubbish would be segregated as municipal waste, hospital and industrial waste. The reusable waste would be utilised for power or gas generation and production of fertiliser and the remaining trash at the landfill site would be set on fire in an “environmentally-friendly manner”.

Turkish company to collect trash at doorsteps under PPP mode

The decision to make the KWSB viable was taken by the chief minister while presiding over a meeting held here at CM House. The meeting, attended by Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Shah, P&D chairperson Naheed Shah, KWSB DG Asadullah Khan and other officers concerned, decided to raise the KWSB operational capacity to deliver to all of its customers safe and a reliable water service on a sustainable basis.

There are four components of the project to be completed in phases pertaining to reforms, securing sustainable water supply and sanitation, management and studies and hiring services of professionals.

The chief minister asked Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah to work out details for initiating implementation of the project. He also formed a steering committee to monitor the work. The reforms includes overhauling the HR policy and service rules, improve communication strategy, capacity-building, budget, financial management, improvement in revenue collection and improving customers relations.

In its phase-II, which will cost $685 million, around 195 million gallons daily (mgd) additional water would be made available for the city. It will include the 100mgd bulk water supply scheme from Haleji to Pipri, and additional 50mgd water supply through the existing bulk system from the Keenjhar Lake to Pipri.

The chief minister said that he would try to start additional water supply schemes much before time so that maximum water could be made available for the city.

Turkish company

Presiding over a separate joint meeting of Turkish Company, OZPAK J.V (A Clean World), led by its chairman Abdul Kadir Turan and the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, CM Shah said he was keen to introduce integrated solid waste management under which collection, segregation, transfer to GTS, treatment and then dumping at landfill be made as per an “integrated system”.

The chief minister, who was assisted by ministers Saeed Ghani, Nasir Shah, Imtiaz Shaikh, and others, said that he had a plan to develop integrated solid waste management.

Nasir Shah said the Turkish company was doing cleanliness work in Lahore and was interested in working with the Sindh government in the area of solid waste management in Karachi.

Mr Shah said that his government was ready to allocate six “modern” GTSs on the PPP basis if any company was interested; otherwise the provincial government would develop them from its own resources.

The company told the chief minister that they were doing a good job in Lahore and Karachi would give a different look when they would start their work in the metropolis. At this the chief minister said that he was ready to allocate them two districts for garbage lifting but they would have to participate in the bidding or file their unsolicited proposal.

The Turkish company said that they were ready to work with the Sindh government on the PPP mode.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2019