Project: Karachi

Our vision is our mission

em[POWER] Karachi: Overview

Our vision is to create a renewable power plant and industrialized waste management facility on a landfill about 10 miles outside of the city of Karachi, Pakistan, a major metropolitan area with about 18 million people. The result is not only a renewable energy solution to the energy shortage problem in Karachi, but also a social solution to improve the lives of about 10,000 residents living on the landfill in extreme poverty. The ultimate goal of this project is to apply the model to similar communities around the world to address both the energy crisis and social problems brought on by urbanization in developing countries.

The core of the project connects different communities through a symbiotic relationship that helps address the energy needs of an urban population by transforming their refuse into a source of renewable energy. This transformation is overseen by local communities who have been forced to live in slum-like conditions in these landfills themselves. In return, direct revenue from the project is channeled towards providing a means of education and employment for these slum dwellers, giving them a chance to break the vicious cycle that has left them marginalized in society. This project therefore combines recycling and methane power production with the development of school, residential, and community infrastructure. The interdependence of these problems and their solutions should allow for a self-sustaining system.

The project will require the collaboration of a wide range of fields, particularly renewable energy, waste management, city planning and education. It will be headed by scholars from Rutgers and Princeton University in the US, with partners at University of California-Berkeley, New York University, NED University and other non-profit organizations around the world.

It is envisioned that the physical development of the project will be completed in three stages:

• Methane Capture and Community Development
• Methane Power Plant with 250kW Capacity
• Expanded Power Plant (10+MW), Educational, Residential, Health and Community Infrastructure

Once this project has been successfully implemented in Karachi, a template can be created and replicated in other locations with similar circumstances.

Check out the documents below for more detailed information:

Karachi Fast Facts:

• Karachi is home to over 18 million people
• Karachi is a port city
• Karachi faces a 500 MW power deficit
• Over 10,000 tons of garbage is collected in Karachi each day
• This refuse is allocated to 4 dump sites surrounding the city
• The largest of these dump sites is known as 'Kachra Kundi"

Kachra Kundi Fast Facts:

• Over 10,000 people live in Kachra Kundi
• Kachra Kundi occupies a 1x2 mile area ten miles outside of Karachi
• Many of the women and children earn a living by burning through the trash in search of scrap metal to re-sell on the second-hand market
• Many of these people suffer from third degree burns, cancer, or respiratory illnesses
• In 1987, a school system, 'Al Khair,' was set up by a local benefactor
• Al Khair provides k-12 schooling for both boys and girls, as well as vocational training
• Al Khair conforms to Pakistani Education Board guidelines
• Lunches are provided to the students through funding sponsored by Tokyo University, Japan, as a way to encourage children to attend school rather than pick through the trash
• Over 14 children from Kachra Kundi have gone on to attend University, including one student pursuing her PhD studies in Tokyo University