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Driving past Karachi’s Punjab Chowrangi, it is almost impossible to ignore the silver aluminium-foil-made structure, which is installed on the pavement close to the traffic light. It is often mistaken for a donation collection point for some organisation. On closer inspection, however, it is quite evident that the ‘construction’ entails more than what meets the eye.
The ‘hall,’ which also serves as a makeshift collection stall for ‘trashed gold’, is rather elaborate and is made out of clean aluminium waste. The silver blocks used in fabricating the structure can be easily utilised for constructing houses, swimming pools and many other structures, especially prefabricated houses which are portable and mobile.
“In a country where purchasing land seems impossible, chandighar (silver house), can conveniently serve as a moment of respite,” says Nargis Latif, Managing Trustee of “Gul Bahao.”
Gul Bahao is a 17-year-old research based, non-governmental institution, which has revolutionised the concept of waste management in Pakistan. The organisation works on the foundation of converting recyclable substances into useful items which are appropriate for further utilisation.
The motivation behind Gul Bahao, Latif says, was “the fact that Karachi is one of the most densely populated cities in the world and is a ‘home’ to insurmountable amount of junk.”
“Trash, garbage and discarded plastic bags can be easily recycled and turned into much useful commodities which are less expensive and eco-friendly. Previously, we worked with polythene and plastic bags but now we have switched to aluminium foils as plastic items fetch a good price and help us in financing our research,” she tells Dawn.com.
Gul Bahao – literally meaning the flow of flowers – utilises the manpower of various university students, who volunteer in collection of garbage and research work.
Latif takes much pride in the organisation’s on-ground work. “The name (Gul Bahao) has various connotations as we work with the youth of the country, however, we emphasise more on ‘working’ and ‘research’ rather than ‘table talks’ which are very common in Pakistan,” adds Latif.
Being an environmentalist in Pakistan is no easy task and Latif has been lambasted by the government and other NGOs for serving a cause which is incomprehensible in a developing country like Pakistan. In her attempts of propagating her school of thought and procuring loans and funds for her project, Latif has faced several problems. Innovation and creative ideas have helped the organisation survive and continue their research.
“In a country where human rights are ignored every day, environmental friendly practises are not even considered secondary. In fact, I should say that environment remains the least of anyone’s priority, making it very difficult for us to penetrate into the masses”, she says.
For the organisation, one of the most prolific achievements was the invention of a ‘fuel pack,’ which is made out of selected garbage items and is being used by various industries as a fuel to run their factories. “The fuel pack,” Latif tells us, “is available in the form of blocks and is relatively safer for the environment than other fuels which generate harmful fumes.”
Garbage and gold bank, which is very famous amongst the business and economics students, is also catching up in the masses. Gul Bahao’s futuristic approach is focussed on using garbage as a banking instrument or a tradable item, which is not a remote concept.
“Paper is a commodity and is being exchanged across the trading counters like any other commodity,” she says.
Garbage trade has become an extremely lucrative business across the globe. Garbage items can be sold from Rs 4,000 to Rs 400,000 per tonne, depending on the quality and recyclable nature of the compounds present in the trash items.
Gul bahao, which started off as an environmental organisation, has carved its niche into various other segments, including humanitarian work and sustainable livelihood.
“We have donated countless prefabricated houses to the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) who were relocated in the aftermath of floods and earthquakes. Our upcoming initiative, Rozgar Lamehdood or unlimited employment, will help various students and volunteers to mass market our products, providing them with a platform to not only prove their skills but also combat current recessionary pressures,” Latif adds.
Latif believes that we belong to a society that suffers from denial and an obscure sort of inferiority complex – a society which considers research based on non-biodegradable and biodegradable substances ‘trash.’
Surprisingly, or maybe not, the Gul Bahao team are used to being called ‘sweepers’ and ‘janitors’ because they deal in trash. “We demand respect and we expect respect from everyone in Pakistan. Our research is highly valuable and can be a turning point for the economy of Pakistan.”
Despite the odds, Gul bahao has managed to instigate a positive behavioural change amongst the people of Karachi and will always be remembered as the groundbreaking organisation which broke the barriers and became the harbinger of change.
Latif and her team are quite optimistic about the future and believe that they will manage to bring about the change in people’s perceptions and mindsets.
“Three days ago we inaugurated the chandighar version of microbiology’s lecture hall at Karachi University and we aim to establish an examination hall based on the same model. It is moment like these which makes me proud of our research and students who strived hard to turn this project into a huge success. ”
The author is a reporter at Dawn.com.
