THIS is with reference to the letter (Jan 2) regarding electricity generation from solid waste. The government should look into the prospect of producing electricity from city sewage, where the sewage is treated and converted into biogas which is then used to generate electricity.

Several such plants are successfully working in various parts of the world, including the US and China.

Mega cities like Karachi and Lahore dispose of huge amount of sewage into the waterways. If this waste is effectively used, we will be able to generate and attain sustainability as the input cost for generating electricity would be very low. Also, treating the city waste and then using it for power generation would help reduce pollution to a great extend.

The government should also look into the prospect of making our cattle and poultry farming efficient, where cow dung and poultry droppings can also be used to produce gas and electricity. Since we are an agricultural and livestock-based economy, we would be in a very good position to effectively use animal droppings to produce gas and electricity for our rural areas, where the input cost would be very low or negligible.

Many poultry and cattle farms in the US, China and Sri Lanka are working on this model and many villages have been able to produce electricity to meet their power requirements.

Pakistan is facing an electricity crisis and the government is desperately looking for energy solution through various means like solar, wind or coal but biogas may be a quick and cost-efficient solution to Pakistan’s electricity and gas problems.

WAQAS PAI Karachi