KARACHI, Oct 20: Speakers at an international symposium here on Saturday stressed the need for integrated efforts, with the community’s involvement, for solid waste management in cities and towns.

They said unless the existing system of scavenging were not reviewed and recycling units were not shifted to properly developed landfill outside cities the problem of ineffective garbage collection services would continue to haunt those living in urban areas.

The speakers criticized the government for its neglect of hospital waste. They said if the activities of hospital management, middlemen, scavengers and others who contributed to the reuse of syringes and other medical items were not checked, this abominable practice would continue to pose a grave hazard to the health of the people, both directly and by polluting the environment.

The symposium on “Solid waste management in urban centres” was organized by the Department of Environmental Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, as part of the Varsity’s golden jubilee celebrations programme. The vice-chancellor of the university, Abul Kalam, inaugurated the five-session symposium, expressing the hope that the deliberations would go a log way in achieving a better environment.

About half-a-dozen foreign scientists and experts had committed to present research papers at the symposium, but they could not turn up because of the prevailing situation in the region, particularly in the country, said a representative of the organizers. However, a couple of papers, sent by foreign scientists, were read out at the symposium.

The director of the Urban Resource Centre, Arif Hasan, called for research to understand why solid waste was not being removed from garbage dumps. He suggested that at least four properly developed landfills be developed with government funding.

Dwelling on garbage recycling activities, he said a powerful nexus existed between the government’s solid waste management staff and those engaged in waste recycling, and in this business millions of rupees changed hands. The solid waste did not reach landfill sites as they ended up in recycling units within the cities.

He noted that in the past 20 years about 35 studies and proposals on solid waste management system for Karachi had been undertaken, but there had been a failure on the part of the researchers and agencies in recognizing the central role that recycling played in the solid waste management system.

He suggested landfill sites be developed with the collaboration of the public and private sector, accommodating scavengers and recycling units at the site with sufficient land not only for scientific disposal of garbage, but also for giving shelter to hundreds of people there with all basic amenities and access roads.

Dr Waseem Akhtar and Azmat Faheem Khan in their paper on “Eco-scavenging” said the manual scavenging and recycling activity going on quietly in the informal sector might be considered a great blessing for the people of Karachi in general and the local agency concerned in particular. About 20,000 scavengers took care of a significant amount of solid waste produced by Karachi, otherwise the 20-25 per cent of the garbage being picked up by them would either be dumped into open drains or be scatted all around. The paper was read out by an NED varsity teacher, Javed Aziz Khan.

The paper also emphasized on a mechanical sorting system, a model of which was also presented before the participants. They said through this mechanical, hygienic and environmental-friendly sorting system revenue could also be generated.

An assistant professor of the department of civil engineering at NED University presented a field study pertaining to solid waste transportation system. The study had been undertaken five years ago in North Nazimabad. The survey revealed that out of 126 tons of solid waste generated daily, only 49 tons were officially collected by municipal vehicles, which could be attributed to inoperative vehicles, non-availability of sweepers and drivers.

He said the number of staff was ideal, but their efficiency was low. One sweeper on an average collected only 92kgs of waste. He said things could improve only when residents took care of, and monitored, the garbage-lifting system.

The District Officer (Solid Waste) told the symposium that the city, on an average, generated 6,000 tons of solid waste, including 500 tons in cantonment boards and KPT areas, daily, but all of this could not be lifted and transferred to official landfill sites, due to resource constraints, poor transport system, shortage of manpower, shortage of vehicles and inadequate monitoring.

He stressed the need for adopting scientific methods and gadgets in order to keep a tab on corrupt field staff, to take account of trips undertaken by trucks and dumpers to the landfill sites and the consumption of fuel.

In addition to short-term measures for the improvement of the waste management system in the city, he also suggested that garbage transfer station be set up in the garbage generation areas. After dumping, segregation and compacting the waste could be reduced by 60 per cent with respect to its volume, and then it could be shifted to landfill sites in big sea-worthy containers. The process would be cost effective if the private sector was involved in it, he claimed.

A scientist from the PCSIR, Nasim F. Usmani, discussed a three-compartment composting unit as an alternative means for disposal and composting of garbage, which could be operated at the community level.

Teachers of Mehran University of Engineering Technology, Mukesh Mathrani and Abdul Rashid Memon, talked about an indigenous approach towards the management of solid waste in Hyderabad with the participation of the community. They said waste generated in Hyderabad city largely comprised biodegradable matter which could be degraded at the dump sites. This practice could continue till enough landfill sites were available there.

Referring to the overall lack of a national policy, lack of interest by the government and local bodies, lack of trained power, lack of financial resources and legislative support, Mr Mathrani said Hyderabad was no exception. He said 87 per cent of the budget for solid waste management were consumed by salaries of staff, nine pc by fuel for vehicles and four pc by maintenance of vehicles.

A teacher from the University of Peshawar, Noorjehan, in her presentation on “environmental hazards and hospital solid waste management in Peshawar district” said the luxury of waiting for years before the problem acquired epidemic proportions was true in the case of Peshawar also.

In the light of her research on the subject, she said careless disposal of hospital waste had become a grave health hazard. She was of the view that reuse of disposable syringes was a major cause of the spread of Hepatitis B, C and HIV.

She said careless disposal of hepatitis patients bloods in washrooms and other places contaminated sub-ground water. She said there were about 100 illegal storage centres for used hospital waste in Peshawar city.

A teacher of Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology, Dr Arif Zubair, said hospital waste was an important component of the overall environmental management system as it posed a grave health hazard.

According to his recent study, about 20 per cent of hospital waste generated in the city was hazardous and it was eight tons a day.

Papers sent by Dr Jahangir Durrani from Peshawar, F. Yalcin and G. N. Demir from Ankara, Turkey, was also presented at the symposium.