KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday announced that four garbage transfer stations (GTS) being built in the metropolis had entered the final stages of completion.
He was speaking after inaugurating the first phase of Sindh’s first sanitary engineered landfill site at Jam Chakro.
The chief minister formally inaugurated the project by cutting the ribbon and initiating waste disposal at the site. Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Labour Minister Saeed Ghani, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and senior officials were also present.
The project, being executed with World Bank assistance at an estimated cost of Rs14 billion — $100m in World Bank financing and $5m from the provincial government — aims to modernise the city’s solid waste management system.
Murad inaugurates first phase of Sindh’s new engineered landfill site at Jam Chakro
The four GTS were earlier informal dumping grounds being modernised under the World Bank-funded SWEEP project. Work was delayed due to lifting of waste, encroachments and land handover issues. The project, which was earlier targeted for completion by August 2026, has now been rescheduled, with three stations due by Oct-Nov 2026 and Dinga Mor station by March 2027.
Briefing the chief minister, Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said that construction of the Sharafi Goth station had reached 71.43pc and was targeted for completion by Oct 30, 2026. “Work on the Imtiaz station is 62.82pc complete and Gutter Baghicha 51.92pc complete, both scheduled for Nov 30, 2026. The Dinga Mor station, currently 14.11pc complete, is expected by March 30, 2027,” he said.
He said that three engineered landfill cells had been completed, while overall progress on the construction package had reached 61.67 per cent. The remaining work is targeted for completion by Nov 30, 2026.
According to a press statement issued by the CM House, the approximately 150-acre site has been developed with an engineered lining system, including geotextile materials, to prevent soil contamination. A dedicated leachate collection and management system, weighbridges for accurate record-keeping and environmental monitoring arrangements have also been put in place.
The chief minister directed authorities to ensure proper weighbridge operations, maintain daily records of waste received and establish a regular reporting mechanism. He stressed that waste should be deposited only in designated engineered cells, noting that conventional dumping contaminates the environment and spreads disease.
The local government minister briefed the CM that the landfill was part of a broader initiative that includes the four garbage transfer stations, with a combined handling capacity of 6,500 tonnes per day. “Waste collected there will be transferred to larger vehicles for transport to Jam Chakro,” he said.
The chief minister said that the landfill project was expected to generate carbon credits worth around $20 million, marking a major shift towards scientific and environmentally sustainable waste disposal in Karachi.
Later, talking to the media, the chief minister said that the Sindh Assembly had repeatedly passed resolutions rejecting proposals for creation of new provinces and that its position could not be ignored.
He said that everyone had the right to express an opinion, but creation of new provinces would have to follow constitutional procedure, including required legislative approvals and a two-thirds majority where constitutionally prescribed.
“The elected representatives of Sindh have expressed the position of the province’s people through the assembly,” he said, adding that the position adopted by the Sindh Assembly remained clear.
Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2026
