HYDERABAD: The Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) has exte­nded its outreach to Hyde­rabad, the second lar­gest city of Sindh, through a Turkish firm under a contract.

This was stated by Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of ‘primary and secondary solid waste collection system’ in Hyderabad and Kotri municipal committee at a banquet on Tuesday.

The board has started its operation through a Turkish firm that has a strong profile in the field of garbage collection and disposal. “Within the next 45 days, garbage disposal across Hyderabad will be ensured,” the minister said.

He said that an agreement with Hyderabad Municipal Corporation was belatedly signed, thus delay in starting the operation. The Turkish firm has a strong profile, he noted, and hoped it would perform well.

LG minister pledges fully fledged operation within 45 days

Mr Shah thanked Turkish consulate’s commercial attaché for gracing the occasion.

SSWMB managing director Zubair Ahmed Channa told the audience that around 450 machineries and equipment would be utilised through the Turkish company. As many as 1,500 sanitation workers would undertake garbage lifting, transportation and its disposal at landfill site, he said.

He said the machinery included compactors, mech­anical sweepers, tractor loaders and tractor trolleys.

He said 1,080 tonnes of garbage would be collected initially from half of Hyderabad city and all areas of Latifabad. In the second phase, he added, the remaining parts of the city and Qasimabad would be covered within the next 45 days and then Tandojam would be connected with the same facility. By January next year, the entire Hyderabad district would come under this garbage lifting system.

Mr Channa said that within the next six months, garbage would be collected from streets and mechanical sweeping would be ensured.

He pointed out that Chinese firms were doing the same job in Larkana and Sukkur.

Speaking the ceremony, Turkish firm’s chief executive officer Eren Bulbul said that his company would help ensure beauty in this region. He said that experts of the firm would offer their services in the assigned tasks. He said over 1,000 tonnes of garbage would be collected from different parts of the city and transferred to landfill site on a daily basis.

Turkish consulate’s commercial attaché Eyyup Yildirim also spoke.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2022