KARACHI - The World Bank on the recommendation of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has allocated $10 million for making Sindh Solid Waste Management Authority (SSWMA) as one of the world class orgnaisation in solid waste management.
This was disclosed in a meeting held between Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and eight-member World Bank delegation led by it Global Director for Urabn, Resilience and Land Practice Groups Dr Sameh Naquib Wahba Tadros.
His other delegation members were Manager Urban Sector in South Asia Dr Catalina Marulanda, Manager Resilience Practice in South Asia Mr Christophe Pusch and others. The chief minister was assisted by Chairperson P&D Naheed Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid jamal Abro, Home Secretary & PD Karachi Neighbourhood Improvement Programme (KNIP) Kazi Kabir and others.
The chief minister said that the Sindh Solid Waste Management Authority has been established recently. “It is a new organistaiuon and would definitely take time to achieve expertise but even then there is a dire need to operate it on scientific manner and make it as a leading solid waste management organmisation in the country,” he said.
At this the World Bank Global Director Dr Dameh said that in Karachi Neighbourhood Improvement Programme (KNIP) there was a provision for solid waste management. He agreed to allocate $10 million for capacity building, technical expertise and construction of a new landfill site for SSWMA.
The chief minister said that he was keen to develop a most modern and environment-friendly landfill site on the outskirt of the city. “This landfill Site must be equipped with all the necessary machinery, gadgets, equipments and technical staff and useful for power generation,” he said. He added that instead of spending million of rupees on garbage lifting he was planning to make the garbage as fund generation work. “If we achieve this target then SSWMA will become a self-sufficient organisation,” he said. On the request of the chief minister the World Bank agreed to construct a landfill site over an area of 500 acre on the outskirt of the city for government would provide land.
SRP
In the meeting between the chief minister and the World Bank delegation another project which came under discussion was Sindh Resilience Project (SRP).
SRP is a Rs9984 million under which irrigation works, including six smalls dams are being constructed. This project deals with flood protection, small recharge dams to address drought and flash flooding risks and to provide technical assistance to irrigation department. Work on Six dams, at Konkar, Jng Shahi, Sabusan and sankar, Bansar/Rathi, Naig have been achieved by 77 percent. These dams are located in Malir, Jamshoro, Thatta, Sujawal, Dadu, matiari and Tharparkar districts.
The World Bank team said that with construction of dam in Malir water table has been improved tremendously. This water table has come up from 400 feet to 100 feet after current rains. A similar effect it would put Kohistan and Tharparkar areas.
Under SRP different activities are being initiated. They are Development of Disaster Management Information System, establishment of provincial emergency operational system, establishment of mobile units, disaster/emergency communication system, heatwave resilience through urban forestation, agriculture hazards assessment, vulnerable assessement of Industrial hazard disaster, school-based disaster risk management, early warning system and sea intrusion assessment.
KNIP
Under Karachi Neighbourhood Improvement Programme, its PD Kazi Kabir briefed the World Bank team that development works around Art Council has been started.
In the area new drainage system is being constructed. Work on the drainage system is in progress while the road in front of arts council has been constructed and work on parking lot is in progress in front of Karachi Museum.