KARACHI, May 26: President General Pervez Musharraf reiterated the need to safeguard the environment side by side with ensuring economic development as he inaugurated an effluent treatment plant in the Korangi industrial area here on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion, the president said the project, called the Combined Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP), should have been undertaken much earlier in view of its significance. He hoped that in the future many more such plants would be established.

The cost of the project -- Rs492 million -- has been shared by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), Ministry of Commerce, Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) Southern Zone, the government of the Netherlands, the government of Sindh and the city district government Karachi.

The plant has the capacity to treat a total of 42,000 cubic meters of waste water per day including 16,500 cubic meters per day of tannery waste water and 26,000 cubic meters per day of domestic waste water.

The president said this facility was an example of the public-private partnership and it would greatly benefit the industries and also improve the country’s international image.

He pointed out that there was a lack of awareness in the country with regard to the environment and this could be owing to the paucity of resources, poverty and other factors.

He said that side by side with economic progress due care would be taken to protect the environment and create the necessary awareness among the people.

“We need to clean up our cities, towns and waters as well as the air,” President Musharraf said.

He underlined the need for more projects like the CETP and said the government would contribute to such efforts as much as possible.

“We must ensure that we are internationally competitive and recognised as being environment-friendly,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan appreciated the effluent treatment project, which he said has been spearheaded by the private sector with the support of his ministry and the TDAP.—APP