Karachi’s largest industrial zone steps into modern waste management era, says Mayor Wahab

KARACHI: A major step toward strengthening modern waste management services in the city’s largest industrial zone has been taken with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) and the North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry (NKATI).

The MoU was signed under the leadership of Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab by Managing Director SSWMB Tariq Ali Nizamani and NKATI President Faisal Moiz Khan. The agreement aims to establish an organized and efficient system for the collection and disposal of municipal solid waste and non-hazardous industrial waste from industrial units in the North Karachi Industrial Area.

Speaking on the occasion, Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that this agreement marks the beginning of an important phase to bring waste management services in the largest industrial area of the city in line with modern standards. He added that SSWMB will further strengthen services in the area through regular waste collection from factories, sweeping of industrial zones, mechanical sweeping and washing services as required, and provision of water bowser services when needed.

The initiative is aimed at improving cleanliness, public health, and environmental standards in the North Karachi Industrial Area while ensuring a systematic and sustainable waste management mechanism.

Briefing the participants, MD SSWMB Tariq Ali Nizamani stated that the board is establishing a dedicated operational setup for industrial areas to ensure an efficient, transparent, and uninterrupted waste management system. He emphasized that industrial waste will be collected responsibly and transported directly to the Jam Chakro landfill site, noting that unregulated waste disposal is severely affecting the environment and groundwater.

Under the MoU, waste collection and bin cleaning services will be provided on a daily or alternate-day basis, according to a mutually agreed operational schedule to prevent waste accumulation. Waste from main roads will be collected daily. Both institutions will jointly ensure that no unauthorized entity is allowed to collect waste from the industrial area or dump it at garbage points or open spaces, as this authority will rest solely with SSWMB.

A monthly service fee will be charged from industrial units for the provided facilities, with SSWMB’s existing online billing web portal to be used for payments. NKATI will provide relevant data of industrial units to facilitate timely billing and smooth payments.

Notably, under this MoU, waste management services will be provided free of cost to industrial units for the initial two months, after which regular service charges will be implemented.

The agreement is being viewed as a significant move toward improving environmental governance and cleanliness in Karachi’s key industrial hub.