KARACHI, May 22: The city generates over 8,000 metric tons of solid waste daily, but the two designated landfill sites receive less than 4,000 tons. The rest of over 4,000 tons remains littered in the streets, causing Karachi to earn the dubious distinction of one of the dirtiest cities in the world.

According to sources, the garbage remains littered around the city despite the fact that the civic agencies responsible for the removal of garbage have sufficient manpower and equipment: over 9,000 staff as well as over 600 vehicles. This litter not only causes severe environmental problems, affecting the health of the citizens, but has also resulted in the accidents of numerous PAF aircraft, caused by birds scavenging the garbage heaps for food.

Sources said that the figure of 8,000 tons is for domestic or municipal waste only. The amount of waste generated by numerous industrial zones located within and around the city, which would also consist of hazardous as well as toxic materials, is not known. Citing an example, they said that just one industrial zone generates over 1,200 tons.

The sources said that various civic agencies – including towns, cantonment boards, railways, KPT, DHA, etc — had over 470 garbage collecting vehicles, whereas the city government has also inducted 120 garbage collection trucks. Ideally speaking, if each vehicle, carrying around five tons, undertook four trips from the city to the landfill sites, approximately 12,000 tons — which is more than the garbage generated — could be removed from the city daily.

The sources cited various reasons why the garbage did not reach the landfill sites, located many kilometres away from the city. These ranged from truck drivers dumping the garbage at low-lying open spaces or open drains, to dumping the waste on people’s plots to fill the ditches, as per their requests. The staff thus saved the trips and embezzled the fuel. A genuine reason could be the breakdown of vehicles.

Many a times the sanitary staff also burnt the garbage heaps in the streets and neighbourhoods so that the area looks clean. But the deadly smoke emitted from the burning garbage affected a large number of people living not only in the vicinity but also living a long distance away, in the downward wind direction.

The sources said that scavengers also scattered the garbage heaps in neighbourhoods to collect recyclable materials. The scattered garbage includes half eaten and discarded food, which attracts all kinds of birds, including kites and vultures.

These birds fly at various altitudes and pose a great threat to aircraft, particularly while landing or during takeoff. In recent months the PAF has lost at least two aircraft, besides many less harmful collisions, a report of the PAF’s Southern Air Command says.

The sources said that in Lahore the civic agency concerned had given a contract – though unfavourable to the agency -- under which the agency delivers the garbage to the contractor free of cost at the landfill, the cost of which would be around a few billion rupees. The contractor gets the garbage separated, and the bulk of it is buried. After some time it becomes natural fertiliser, which is sold to farmers.

They said that in Karachi, the civic agency should set up a similar project so that the huge profit -- which the contractor, having the backing of an influential NWFP political family, is making in the Punjab capital -- could be earned by the civic agency. Some time back a political personality had tried to get this kind of deal in the city also, but luckily for Karachians, it could not materialise.

Responding to Dawn queries, the city government official concerned, Masood Alam, said that the city government had two landfill sites of approximately 500 acres each at Jam Chakro in Surjani Town and Goand Pass along the RCD Highway.

He said that the garbage was weighed at Jam Chakro after which it was sorted out by scavengers, who removed the recyclable materials, and the rest was buried and covered with three inches of soil. Proper lining has been done to avoid the seepage of hazardous materials, which might contaminate the subsoil aquifer.

He said that Jam Chakro received between 1,800 and 2,000 tons of garbage daily, while Goand Pass received slightly less. So approximately 4,000 tons, out of the daily generation of over 8,000 tons of garbage, reaches the landfill sites.

He said that various towns were spending more than Rs530 per ton on disposal of garbage, while the city government was spending less than Rs200 per ton.

The official said that the city government was planning to set up a few garbage transfer stations (GTS) in different locations in the city, where the garbage could be collected, recyclables could be sorted out, made compact, and then transferred to the landfill sites.

He said that a few GTS sites in Orangi, next to the fire station, Sharafi Goth along the Malir River, and Mewashah, had been identified. A new landfill site near Razakabad is also being planned. A few other sites were required and hopefully would soon be found.

He said that the available manpower and equipment seemed sufficient to collect the garbage from the city and dispose of it into the landfill site. But unfortunately a lot of garbage could be seen scattered in the streets, for which the staff is responsible. He said that a campaign would also be launched to create awareness among the people so that they did not throw garbage in the streets, but properly left it at garbage collection points in the neighbourhoods.

He said that the Lahore contractor and a few other parties – some foreign — had approached the city government with a similar proposal, but the issue remains stagnant.