UN-Habitat launched “Waste Wise Cities”, to address the increasing global waste management crisis. Waste from homes, markets, businesses and institutions is thrown on the streets, in drains, dumped next to communities or openly burnt. Not only does this make our cities unsightly and unattractive to tourists and investors, it leads to flooding, air and water pollution, diseases as well as respiratory and other health problems. The urban poor are the most affected.
On the World Environment Day 2021, UN Habitat in collaboration with the Directorate of Urban Policy and Strategic Planning, has launched Waste Wise Cities Tool in Pakistan piloting it in Karachi, one of the biggest metropolitan cities of Pakistan. A workshop with a theme “Launch of Waste Wise Cities Tool in Pakistan for Clean and Healthy Cities and Oceans – Celebrating Ecosystem Restoration” was organized on 27th May 2021 in NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi.
UN Environment and UN Habitat selected Karachi as one of the six polluting cities and third top marine litter hotspot city in South Asia for carrying out further research through application of UN Habitat Waste Wise Cities tool and identification of appropriate measures for arresting land based and marine environmental pollution.
This year Waste Wise Cities Tool application will examine policy intervention and infrastructure investment gaps for the improved municipal solid waste management system to prevent marine litter in Karachi. In this connection a Technical training Session on Waste Wise Cities Tool is planned to be held on 9th June 2021 at NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi.
The training session will introduce Waste Wise Cities Tool in detail, how to apply waste wise cities tool and discuss how this survey can help participating cities solve the challenges in SWM and what kind of stakeholders should be involved in the process to make tangible impacts.