KARACHI, Feb 17: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan has said that the basic objective of the Solid Waste Management is to have ideal sanitary conditions in the city.

“By highlighting social awareness about cleanliness, a significant contribution can be made to check diseases,” he said while presiding over a meeting regarding the Solid Waste Management System in Karachi on Saturday.

He called for preparing an effective strategy in this regard and said mobilisation for the same be started at the union council level.

He asked the city government to get a survey carried out by its technical team for garbage transfer. He said before making the system fully operative, technical consultation should be held with foreign experts and urban planning advisers and coordinate the same with policy guidelines.

The governor said a study report be prepared for all the settlements in the city, especially katchi abadis.

He directed the meeting participants that before fully implementing the scheme, it should be ascertained whether the scheme be taken in hand as a joint venture or would be more useful in outsourced form.

Pointing out that the aim of the SWM was to bring the city's sanitary conditions on an international standard, Ishratul Ibad said once it was implemented, the public habit of maintaining sanitary conditions would gradually go firm and media could play an important role in creating such awareness.

He observed that the installation of fibreglass bins in the city would prove significant to the start of this process.

He called for devising a timeframe for the SWM and said any foreign company, which might join hands with the city government on easy terms and conditions, should be provided the opportunity to work.

The meeting was attended, among others, by City Nazim Mustafa Kamal, DCO Fazlur Rehman, Special Secretary Javed Hanif, representatives of foreign companies and other senior officials.—APP