TONNES of garbage has piled up everywhere in Karachi. The Sindh government has been unable to remove it

The provincial government needs to learn a lesson from Sweden and Singapore. These countries have set up power plants for electricity generation from solid waste.

Singapore generates three per cent of the country’s electricity from its four waste-to-energy power plants. The National Environmental Agency of Singapore is planning a fifth waste-to-energy power plant by 2019. It should be a model for other cities like Karachi to emulate.

Sweden imports garbage for generating energy. About 950,000 homes are heated by trash across Sweden. According to statistics from Avfall Sverige — Sweden’s national waste management association — this lowly source also provides electricity to 260,000 homes in Sweden. Less than one per cent of the garbage now ends up in dumps in Sweden. Waste now constitutes 19pc of the fuel used by Sweden that makes it the world leader in generating energy from garbage. It is followed by the Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway and Finland. In addition, the US generates 13pc of electricity from garbage.

Though garbage-infused smoke sounds highly poisonous, modern electric filters give the particles a negative electric charge which becomes nontoxic carbon dioxide before release. Instead of burning garbage that pollutes environment, the Sindh government needs to set up waste-to-energy power plants to produce electricity from garbage. More than one in four deaths in children under five years of age is linked to polluted environment, according to World Health Organisation.

Delegations from various countries, including Poland, India and China regularly visit Sweden to learn about garbage heat and energy. Pakistan should also send its professionals to Sweden for this purpose.

Developing countries like Pakistan may get access to funding from the UN-affiliated Green Climate Fund to invest in waste-to-energy power plant. Only then will our country, especially Karachi, be able to get rid of garbage and solid waste.

Muhammad Ibrahim

Sobra City, Tarbela Dam

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2017

Opinion

Editorial

No time left
Updated 06 Feb, 2025

No time left

Climate change concerns continue to remain a footnote as politics dominates national discourse, surfacing only when disaster strikes.
Karim Aga Khan
06 Feb, 2025

Karim Aga Khan

PRINCE Karim Aga Khan was a man who straddled various worlds and cultures. Beyond his role as spiritual leader of ...
Cotton production
06 Feb, 2025

Cotton production

PAKISTAN’S cotton crop is on the ropes. The crop output has been falling since FY15, when the country harvested a...
Kashmir question
Updated 05 Feb, 2025

Kashmir question

The important thing is to continue dialogue process, on bilateral disputes, Kashmir issue, and move beyond rigid positions.
Letters from jail
05 Feb, 2025

Letters from jail

OVER the past week, former prime minister Imran Khan has directly addressed his concerns to both the chief justice ...
Agriculture tax
05 Feb, 2025

Agriculture tax

WITH Sindh and Balochistan finally approving changes to their agriculture income tax laws to harmonise their AIT...