You are 100% right, Reduce, Recycle, Re-use is the correct strategy, and the Re-use is the stage at which energy production should be considered.

No sensible business is going to look at the old fashioned incinerators you refer to, but it is very important to differentiate between good and bad technologies, that carry the same Waste to Energy heading.

As far as heavy metals identification is concerned, there is equipment to do this and most industrial waste is not only monitored but mined for the recovery of many of these valuable substances.

You have to remember that Pakistan has a very efficient informal "scavenger " recycling system, so that by the time the waste reaches any kind of landfill- official or not, the contents are mainly organics in plastic bags, building rubble and green waste.
Low paid scavengers know the value of Metals, hard plastic, glass which are already removed and re-used, I might add to a much higher percentage than US, UK or EU.

Best regards
Robert Orr

With all due apologies, I do not agree with WTE (Waste to Energy) projects. In fact they are waste of Energy, they are basically against the sustainable consumption, usage, disposal patterns, waste natural resources, opposite of recycling etc. All EU / USA countries / states are going for 75% + Recycling, pay for waste etc. We are being forced to accept obsolete technologies.

Please visit GAIA (Global Anti Incineration Alliance) websites, Health care without harm etc for more information. This is the wrong / obsolete Technologies which will be asking us to follow high waste producing old lifestyle, will fix the municipalities to divert all wastes to WTE with no chances of composting, recycling etc. In addition, we do not have the infrastructure to measure heavy metals, dioxins etc in the waste stream. If anyone is interested, I can share a power point presentation from Prof Paul Connett (my email address nfqadir[AT]gmail.com )on this issue. Anyone can google search for Sustainable lifestyle, consumption & Production, minimization of municipal solid waste etc to get more information. I can also share dozens of projects of WTE being rejected in the west, EU, USA, Canada if interested.

regards
Dr. Noman F Qadir

I don’t blame WtE projects but I blame the inconsistency in government policy towards this issue? Did you participate in Rawalpindi’s WTE bid? Faislabad’s is also now open.

stay safe

Getting any project off the ground in Pakistan is excruciatingly difficult, mainly because businessmen have not yet realized that the old culture of putting no capital down, and using oversize bank loans for projects does not work anymore. Many of the old projects failed as they were too heavily borrowed to ever become sustainable.(hence huge bank loan write offs).
If those withe the funding got off the fence and put capital into serious RE projects, the sector would be seriously profitable and load shedding would be reduced.

Hopefully circular debt in the IPP industry is starting to be removed, and this should encourage more participants.

Anyway, back to landfill. Don’t blame W2E, there have been many offers on the table, try looking deeper into why those offers were refused or discouraged, and why those who were keen, left to work in other places than the Capital.

My own offer was rebutted in favour of a compost plant that never saw the light of day. I’m a great compost fan, but not at the cost of energy, especially when you can have both.

Pakistan deserves, and eventually will get, better.

oracle

Encouraging the use of waste for energy is a noble and eminently practical cause. Modern technologies such as Anaerobic Digestion and Gasification are clean, efficient and affordable IF manufactured locally. Technology transfer is vital and there are some companies -like ours – that believe imitation is a compliment and encourage it. (Better to lower the cost of technology and make sure competitors do the job properly, than see the technology dismissed as “failed” when they try to do it alone). Pakistan has, as I have stated publicly on a number of occasions, enough waste, and natural resources to provide all the energy needed for its static and mobile requirement.

The Nation should reach for its own “low hanging fruit” rather than depend on oil imports.Combine these technologies with other 24/7 technologies such as Geothermal energy, and peak load providers such as solar and wind, and you have the perfect storm of energy generation. Go Pakistan!

Please try to maintain natural resources of earth. People do not want to come out of two options land fill Vs WtE. Both are bad options & choices.

Dr. Noman

Saadat Hayat

Thank you for your comments. Is Mr. Narahara still in Islamabad I met him last time in year 2005. Concerning landfill site at Kuri in my opinion it was fine place except that it was surrounded by some influential people’s plots.

I have left any interest in that project when CDA for the second time was forced to change its decision in favour of influential Saifs.

I wish all is going well with Saifs, Prof. from Comsat and Ceres Associates.

You can email me at oracle788@yahoo.com

How is Mr. Mustafain Kazmi?

best regards
oracle

The truth of the matter is that in January 2007 CDA turned down the offer of a privately funded HiRAD AD plant, that would have produced 4mW and $1M pa for Islamabad in favour of a composting scheme bringing Rs48 Lacs pa.that as far as I know is still not started.

Maria, you will be pleased to know that we are working with Empower of NZ and NEC of Karachi and have installed the Landhi Cattle Colony pilot HiRAD plant, which will be producing gas by July.The main project will prevent 7-8000 tons per day from being flushed onto the streets, fields and into the sea, and will transform the life, health and wealth of the citizens of Landi and Bin Qasim.

Pakistan is a treasure trove of waste that can power the country, reducing oil import at $120/barrel. There are lots of renewable technologies such as waste heat recovery, RDF from MSW, AD, Wind, Geo-Thermal, Solar Thermal, Solar PV that could transform Pakistan from an energy deficient nation to a net exporter. The new government has a unique opportunity to transform Pakistan and I am proud to be part of this vital RE sector where Pakistan could become a world leader

I am an official from the Capital Development Authority and I was amazed to see such adverse remarks on such an environmental friendly project of CDA from the people who basically have NO information about the landfill & compost plant methodology, the characterization & composition of waste of Islamabad. The facts mentioned in the column were so not true and exaggerated. The author / columnist mentioned about UNDP’s out rightly rejected the Kuri Landfill site, I wonder WHEN UNDP gave such comments and WHY ON EARTH he did not came through the studies of independent organizations / agencies such as PCSIR & Earth Sciences Department of Quaid-e-Azam University in which they highly recommended the KURI site for establishment of Landfill Site & Compost Plant. It is important to mention here that the KURI site was selected from 11 Potential sites by a team of experts, specifically for this purpose under the Chairmanship of Federal Secretary Planning & Commission. As far as JICA’s concerns are concerned, let me clarify that the long term JICA Expert Mr. Narahara, specifically deputed for Pakistan, stationed at Pak-EPA not only endorsed the KURI site for the project but also declared as the most suitable site with regards to the permeability of Soil strata. JICA has been in continuous contact with the Capital Development Authority and 5 of our Officials have got Technical Training in Japan regarding Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Techniques and on Management & Construction of Landfill. Furthermore, for Cleaner Environment through improved solid waste management, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) started their technical assistance / cooperation, started from September 2006 for a period of 30 Months.

As far as Waste-to-Energy has concerned, let me inform that there is no example of any success of such plant in SAARC Countries. A similar kind of project was started in Lacknow, India and was failed badly as the Supreme Court of India ordered to stop the project with immediate effect. You can find related information on the Internet.

The Sanitary Landfill of Islamabad has been designed as per US-EPA standards and has provision of laying of synthetic liner system to prevent seepage of leachate in the bed soil and Leachate Collection & Treatment Facility.

I was very much impressed with your comments on the Landfill Project of Islamabad as you have very correct information about the project. It would be really great if i can have your contact number & Email address please, you can email me at yasirrazakhan@Hotmail.com. I want to share views n waste to energy plants, their cost and feasibility for a developing country like Pakistan and some information regarding landfill & compost plant of Islamabad.

Yasir Raza Khan
Directorate of Sanitation
Capital Development Authority, Islamabad.

If they can get past the politics and greed, one would think they could find a way…

Oracle

Harrah……….
Its again MQM, who took the lead.

oracle