Like other cities in Pakistan, Karachi also faces a huge problem of poor solid waste management and air pollution
By Dr Heman Das Lohano & Dr Ghamz E Ali Siyal: When one returns from a foreign country to Karachi, she/he is met with garbage issues and an assault on one’s olfactory senses. The city of Karachi today is not only full of crime but also faces the problem of heaps of trash and a revolting stench. Karachi, like other cities in Pakistan, is facing a huge problem of poor solid waste management and air pollution. On average, waste collection rates in Karachi are 60 per cent, when it generates more than 16,500 tons of municipal waste daily.
This is a multifaceted problem that connects waste with air pollution. It not only requires green interventions from the government, but also behavioral changes by a majority of the population. Karachi was once known as the city of lights. Unfortunately, Karachi now has one of the highest levels of pollution, followed by New Delhi in India and Lahore in Pakistan.
Particularly, Karachi has lower air quality with 260 particulate matters in the air. The Global Livability Index of 2023, published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), ranks Karachi city as the fifth worst city to live in. This ranking is mainly due to a high crime rate, low air quality, and lack of infrastructure. Every day people are dealing with lower air quality and poor waste management even if they are not mugged. Read more
It is best to use solid waste to generate power. There are several wate to power plants in US and other countries. On is in west palm beach Florida which produces around 170MW power and supplies power to palm coast. Pakistan could do the same.
Engro Energy and K.E will commence this program of waste to energy conversion in 2026 as to be expected.