In response to alarming reports of hazardous medical refuse, including used syringes and blood bags, being discovered on the city’s seashore, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) today inaugurated a rehabilitated incineration plant and announced a stringent crackdown on the illegal disposal of dangerous materials.
Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab launched the repair and rehabilitation project of the KMC incineration facility, located in the Trans Lyari area of Mewa Shah, District Keamari. He was accompanied by KMC Council Deputy Parliamentary Leader Dil Muhammad, Jaman Darwan, and UC Chairman Ali Raza Rand, among other elected officials.
Addressing the ceremony, the Mayor highlighted the Mewa Shah area”s significance due to its industries, treatment plant, large population, and historic graveyard. He described the plant”s revival as a crucial, long-term initiative whose benefits would extend to future generations.
The decision to restore the plant was made in 2025 following numerous complaints about industrial and medical waste being dumped in drains. The facility was reactivated within ten months, now featuring modern cyclone technology to ensure the safe disposal of hazardous materials.
With a daily capacity of ten tons, the plant is a vital step towards managing the approximately fifty tons of industrial and medical waste generated in the city each day. Mayor Wahab noted that the upgraded technology will provide citizens with a cleaner and safer environment.
Originally established in 1998 with two high-capacity incinerators purchased from Consumat America in 1995, the plant’s shift to modern cyclone technology is designed to significantly reduce smoke and environmental pollution. A contemporary carbon monoxide dilution system has also been installed to minimise harmful gas emissions.
The Mayor announced that all hospitals and relevant industries will be legally obligated to dispose of hazardous medical materials according to prescribed procedures. “Strict legal action will be taken against those involved in illegal recycling and the sale of medical waste,” he warned, adding that plant staff will operate under international safety standards.
For establishments lacking their own disposal facilities, Barrister Murtaza Wahab stated that KMC vehicles will collect waste directly from their premises upon request. He underscored that protecting the environment is a collective responsibility and all institutions must support the administration’s efforts.
He reiterated that any hospital or factory failing to manage its waste properly will face severe consequences. The Mayor also mentioned parallel environmental initiatives, including the reactivation of the TP-1 treatment plant, where the first phase of a 20 MGD pilot project has been implemented to make the sea cleaner and convert treated water for industrial use.
Concluding his address, the Mayor pointed to other development projects across the city, such as the completed flyover in Cattle Colony and ongoing work on the Azimpura flyover. He remarked that his administration would continue its work for Karachi’s development and public service for the remainder of its term, irrespective of political criticism.