Power generation from solid waste: project back on track?
By Fasahat Mohiuddin
A Chinese firm has reignited its interest in collecting garbage from the city and generating electricity from solid waste, Sindh Chief Secretary Fazlur Rehman told Kolachi.
The firm had entered a pact with the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) during the reign of former city Nazim, Mustafa Kamal, but it pulled out from the project owing to the security situation in the city. "They have come back, but negotiations with them are at a preliminary stage," Rehman said.

Surrounded by neighbours and friends, Ali Mohammed Bali, the oldest resident of Ilyas Goth - a settlement which has Lyari Nadi to its south and Teen Hatti Bridge to its west, and which lies on the path of the Lyari Expressway's designed route, forcefully asserted that his locality is being demolished on the false pretext that it is not leased land.

The government's justification for getting the area evicted is that the defunct Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) referred to Ilyas Goth as a 'Katchi Abadi' in its records. Bali and the others beg to disagree, and cite ownership rights as the reason why they cannot simply be forced out. Their steadfast refusal to relocate from their homes, which they also consider to be their forefathers' land, has meant that construction work on the Lyari Expressway project remains at a standstill, some eight years after its commencement.

When the Lyari Expressway project was conceived, the idea was to construct a 38-kilometre-long bridge, which would start from Mauripur and end at Sohrab Goth, and would be punctuated with exits to various major localities across the town. Some portion of the project were constructed and subsequently opened for traffic; the project could not be completed in its entirety, however, as officials kept having to deal with repeated obstacles since the project's inauguration.

Having spent some eight years trying not only to get some "occupied" areas vacated, but also having to deal with law suits, the National Highway Authority (NHA) has at this time shifted from its previous scheme of opening the expressway to heavy vehicles. "The Lyari Expressway is now being constructed for light vehicles. This will also help in easing traffic pressure in the city, given as to how many main and important roads are choked most of the times," Major Syed Ahmed, project director of the Lyari Expressway Project, told Kolachi, asserting that the project will be completed this time around.

This shift in plans has angered residents of Ilyas Goth, who claim that their settlement was conveniently ignored while the project was in its design phase and the prospective route was being charted out. "My father came to Karachi in search of a job, and settled in Ilyas Goth in 1937. We are not land grabbers or gypsies, who can simply be bulldozed out of their homes," roared Bali.

"Before partition, Ilyas Goth was registered as a 'Saraye' camp in KMC records. After 1947, it was called Ilyas Goth K28 B. Residents of the area used to pay a rent of one rupee at the time, but in the late 1950s, the KMC stopped taking the rent. They said that we will demand permanence of our homes," Bali narrated.

Later on, the Assessment and Collection Section, as the KMC was known back then, assessed the area and imposed a six per cent tax on water and another two per cent in government tax, Bali narrated. "At the same time, an assistant collector was deputed to issue lease papers. In an irony of sorts, the lease documents referred to the issuance process as a 'regularisation of unauthorised plot occupancy.' This gave them the leeway to push us out of our homes, as they can argue that we are living illegally on unauthorised lands," Bali explained.

Some of the residents, being poor and illiterate, did not get the lease. Following the inauguration of the Lyari Expressway project, the government came to evict them from their homes, and many were forced to shift to Taisar Town, as it was the only way out for them and where the majority of the affected of the project were being resettled.

The dilemma of leased and non-leased residents has divided the residents in two groups: one that has agreed to leave, and the other - a sizeable majority - who are desisting any attempts of being forced to leave. Those who want to remain demand the realignment of the bridge, so that their homes can be spared.

This insistence to not leave is based on the experience of over 28,000 families, who were relocated from the Lyari river bed to places such as Taisar Town, Hawkesbay and Baldia Town. Most of these families were given Rs50,000 to build new homes, but this amount was not enough. "We will be left on our own once we decide to shift, as Rs50,000 is not enough to build a new home," Bali said, arguing that if they agree to shift, no one will care about whether they have settled in their new abodes, and all their protests will be for nothing.

"The residents of Ilyas Goth are not the only ones resisting being shifted to other areas; inhabitants of Hassan Oliya, Mianwali Colony, and Muslimabad also share our grievance of not being compensated well for resettlement. With no hospitals, electricity and schools nearby, we'll be stranded in the middle of nowhere," Bali maintained.

Ahmed, however, dashed such notions and declared that this redesigning will not happen. "We have orders from the Sindh government to see this project through this time, and there is no chance of realigning the bridge at all. It will be an "injustice" to those who have already been dislocated from their homes," he asserted.

The Lyari Expressway project director told Kolachi that proposals for realigning the bridge have thrice been rejected by the Sindh government. Part of the reason, seemingly, is the cost of the project that has spiralled out of control. "The original cost of the project was around Rs5.8 billion in 2002, when the project was started. This has now exceeded Rs753 billion, and we are still waiting for previous funds to be paid to us," Ahmed said, arguing that it would be impossible to secure more funding for the project.

Lyari Resettlement Project Chief Shafiq Paracha, meanwhile, claimed that all three resettlement areas are "well established and highly facilitated" to suit the need of the people. He said that Rs50,000 is being provided as compensation for those who are living on non-leased lands. "Unless they are officially recognised, nothing can be done for them," Paracha said.

The News photos byNaqeeb-ur-Rehman

In a congested street just off M. A. Jinnah Road, 30-year-old Muhammad Nadeem counts the sales he had made during the day on his fingertips. His small makeshift stall is not enough to stop the scorching heat. He coughs as rickshaws emitting black fumes pass by.

"I had never thought, not even in my wildest imagination, that I would live to see this day," he said, vigorously cleaning a packet of adhesive tapes with a piece of cloth. "From being owner of a big warehouse to becoming a roadside vendor- this situation never crossed my mind."

Nadeem claims that he is hardly making any sales. And he is not alone in this suffering. Sitting next to him are at least a dozen of other traders, who saw their shops reduced to ashes on December 28, 2009 when an angry mob went on a rampage, setting fire to markets in Saddar after a suicide attack on Ashura procession maimed 40 people. Billions of rupees worth of goods and thousands of shops, which were housed in colonial-era buildings were gutted in a matter of hours.

"All sympathies were with us back then," said Iqbal Ahmed, another trader who deals in "everything" - from toothpaste to clothes. "And indeed a lot was done in terms of monetary support. But where are the shops which were promised to us? The work has not even started as yet."

Along the narrow street, called Chaddi Lane, there were 17 markets with nearly 2,000 shops. Now they are a pile of debris. Partially torn-down structures of four charred buildings are still standing.

Nadeem, who use to supply different types of adhesive tapes to retailers around the country, fears that mode adversity lied ahead. "As I sit here by the roadside, no one knows me. I was a wholesaler and have lost customers. Regaining the market share is the toughest part ahead."

On April 13, the Sindh governor and the chief minister came to the site with their large entourage to console the traders. Orders were issued for starting construction work on an immediate basis. These directions were duly obliged, and the contractor initiated work the next day. But within 24 hours he pulled back.

Rafique Jadoon, president of the Anjuman-e-Tajiran Boulton Market, says work stopped because of escalation in price of raw material. "The price of steel has jumped substantially since the tender was awarded to the contractor. Now he is seeking an increase in rates."

Muhibullah Builders and Developers, the contractors, had revised the construction cost of 14 buildings, with the updated cost quoted as Rs360 million from the previous Rs300 million, he said. "There is nothing much which could be done about it. His demand is genuine."

Jadoon maintained, however, that government officials in the committee, which is overseeing the rehabilitation of markets, are pushing to re-tender the contract for construction.

"We cannot afford to waste much time. It will be hard to pacify anxious traders," he said, adding that his association wants the committee to accept the demand of the contractor.

If work starts now, it will take five months for the ground floors of the buildings to be constructed, while complete structures will be erected in at least a year.

Amid this confusion, some dissenting voices are surfacing. Traders point out that four-and-a-half billion rupees were donated in the wake of the tragedy by the government, local businessmen, as well as the United States.

"Around Rs1.3 billion were given in compensation for the goods destroyed in the fire. Another Rs360 million will be spent on construction. But what about more than two billion rupees which have not been spent?" a trader asked.

Authorities claim that the rest of the amount will be expensed on the construction of water pipelines, fire hoses and reinforcing security measures. Jadoon of Anjuman-e-Tajiran says there are proposals to even buy fire brigades. "However, nothing has been finalised in this regard."

While construction of the markets is a matter of livelihood for thousands of people, some people say the whole incident has left scars that can never heal.

Afaque Alam, who deals in schoolbags, had lost nothing in the blaze yet he has seen sales go down by almost half in just three months. "It seems that buyers are scared of coming to Boulton Market. But I think they no longer want to rely on us as their only suppliers."

The News photo by Zahid Rehman

Power generation from solid waste: project back on track?

A Chinese firm has reignited its interest in collecting garbage from the city and generating electricity from solid waste, Sindh Chief Secretary Fazlur Rehman told Kolachi.

The firm had entered a pact with the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) during the reign of former city Nazim, Mustafa Kamal, but it pulled out from the project owing to the security situation in the city. "They have come back, but negotiations with them are at a preliminary stage," Rehman said.

The project would be joint venture between the CDGK and the firm, the chief secretary said, explaining that the Chinese firm was also to eventually install a waste energy plant to generate 560 megawatts of electricity, which in turn, would be sold to the Karachi Electric Supply Company.

The Mustafa Kamal-led city government had inked a letter of intent (LoI) with the Chinese firm in November 2008 to privatise and hand over the city's solid waste management system for a period of 20 years. Five firms had shown an interest in managing the city's solid waste, with the city government receiving a highest bid of $64 per tonne. The Chinese firm, however, had offered the lowest rate of $20 per tonne, and it was subsequently selected for the task.

As per the agreement, the firm was to be responsible for door-to-door collection of solid waste from all areas of the city, and dispose of the trash at designated landfill sites. The city government had to pay $20 per tonne to the Chinese company for lifting and disposal of domestic and hospital waste, as well as other chemical waste, with the underlying understanding being that waste disposal would be accomplished in a way that there is no threat to the environment.

The Pakistani authorities had offered that staffers of the city government and towns, as well as the machinery used for solid waste management, would be placed at the disposal of the foreign company, which in turn, was responsible for the salaries and benefits of these workers.

The Chinese firm was also supposed to invest $250 million to upgrade existing landfill sites, besides establishing its offices, eight garbage transfer stations and one more landfill site in the suburbs of Karachi. As per the agreement previously reached upon, the Chinese company was to generate money through waste recycling, while it was also to give 15 per cent of the money generated through electricity production to the city government.

CDGK officials argue that about 8,000 tonnes of solid waste was being generated on a daily basis from across the city. Officials had claimed at the time when the pact was first being inked that the 18 towns were spending around Rs3 billion annually on the lifting and disposal of solid waste, but the situation on ground remained unsatisfactory as only half of the total waste was being disposed of at landfill sites. Interestingly, the estimated annual amount to be paid to the Chinese firm is Rs3.5 billion.

Well-placed sources claimed that the city government had proposed to impose a monthly municipal tax of Rs25 across the city for lifting garbage from each house. Sources explained that the revenue to be generated through the municipal tax would help the city government meet the cost of the Chinese firm. It is worth remembering that most of the former 178 union councils had been charging Rs50 from each house under the head of garbage collection.