GUJRAT: A German company has shown interest in launching a waste-to-energy project in Gujrat for which a team is about to initiate a survey of the city.

A delegation of the company held a series of meetings with the senior officials of Gujrat district administration and Municipal Corporation last week after which some joint inspections were also made by the representatives of the company and the civic agency, Gujrat Deputy Commissioner Amer Shahzad Kang told Dawn here on Monday.

The DC said a delegation of the German firm had initially called on Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi and showed its interest in launching the clean energy project after which the team arrived in Gujrat where a briefing was held at the DC office.

He said the clean energy project could convert the solid waste management into an environment-friendly exercise that would help produce the cheap electricity as separate surveys of solid waste and medical waste would be conducted in the entire city.

Initially he said the local administration had assured the company of all possible assistance and foolproof security for its staff during the survey for which modalities were being discussed mutually.

Gujrat MC administrator Aurangzaib Sidhu along with chief executive officer of German company Karsten Winske inspected dumping sites in the outskirts of the city.

Mr Sidhu said the company would ascertain the total volume of daily solid waste and medical waste production in Gujrat through the survey whereas the sites of establishing such a waste-to-energy project were also being searched by the local land revenue department to propose it to the company.

Official sources in Gujrat MC said at least 250 tonnes of solid waste was being produced daily in the city and the capacity of the civic agency to lift the garbage was not more than 160 tonnes causing a huge problem for the local authorities in making the city look clean.

The Punjab government has recently approved the establishment of Gujrat Waste Management Company a few weeks ago after which the local administration is hopeful of minimising the mess created through heaps of garbage lying in streets and roads of the city.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2022