DRAFT — Karachi’s First Engineered Landfill Inaugurated at Jam Chakro

• Suggested slug: jam-chakro-landfill-karachi-inaugurated
• Category: Sindh
• Focus keyphrase: Jam Chakro landfill
• SEO title: Jam Chakro Landfill: Karachi’s First Engineered Site Opens
• Meta description: Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah inaugurated Karachi’s first sanitary engineered landfill at Jam Chakro, a $105m World Bank-backed project on 150 acres.
• Tags: Jam Chakro, Karachi, Murad Ali Shah, waste management, World Bank, carbon credits, Sindh
• Original element: local Pakistan angle — Karachi’s long-running uncollected-waste crisis as context, plus links to Feature Pakistan’s own sanitation and Karachi infrastructure coverage
• Source: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2635823/jam-chakro-landfill-khi-turns-a-new-leaf-in-waste-management (Tribune, published 06:40 PKT 20 Oct 2026)
• Story date: 19 October 2026

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KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday inaugurated the first phase of Karachi’s first sanitary engineered landfill at Jam Chakro, launching a scientific waste disposal system the government says will reduce pollution, improve public health and could generate around $20 million in carbon credits, The Express Tribune reported.

The World Bank-backed project carries a total cost of $105 million, including $100 million in World Bank assistance and a $5 million contribution from the Sindh government. The facility spans around 150 acres and incorporates engineered lining, leachate collection and environmental monitoring systems to minimise contamination of the surrounding land.

Three cells ready, rest by November 30

Three engineered landfill cells have been completed so far, and overall construction progress has reached 61.67 per cent. The remaining work is scheduled for completion by November 30, 2026, the chief minister said at the inauguration ceremony.

Speaking at the event, Shah said the project marked a significant step towards modernising Karachi’s solid waste management system, which has relied for years on open dumping.

Methane capture and carbon credits

The project also offers the potential to capture methane generated by decomposing waste and use it for energy production. Murad Ali Shah said the World Bank’s technical team had estimated that the facility could generate around $20 million in carbon credits.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and capturing it from landfill sites is a standard practice at engineered facilities around the world. The carbon credits would come from verified reductions in emissions.

Transfer stations to feed the landfill

The wider waste management initiative includes four garbage transfer stations at Sharafi Goth, Dinga Mor, Imtiaz and Gutter Baghicha, with a combined handling capacity of 6,500 tonnes daily. Waste collected at these stations will be transported to the landfill in larger vehicles.

The transfer stations are meant to cut the number of trips by small collection vehicles and make the movement of waste through the city more efficient.

World Bank backing

The World Bank is putting up $100 million of the $105 million project cost, with the Sindh government contributing the remaining $5 million. International lenders have backed several Karachi infrastructure schemes in recent years, and the landfill is part of a wider effort to bring the city’s solid waste system up to modern standards.

At the inauguration, officials said the engineered design would stop waste from seeping into the soil and groundwater, a problem with Karachi’s existing open dumps, where rubbish is simply piled up with no lining or treatment.

A long-running problem for Karachi

Karachi has struggled with uncollected rubbish for years, with overflowing bins and illegal dumps a familiar sight in many neighbourhoods. The city produces thousands of tonnes of solid waste every day, and past clean-up drives have tended to be short-lived, with the system passing through several administrations and contractors without a lasting fix.

The province has stepped up environmental and sanitation work in recent months, from sanitation deadlines in Punjab to the sewage diversion and landscaping work under way in Clifton. The Jam Chakro project is the first attempt to give Karachi a disposal site built to modern engineering standards.

For more on the city’s development and infrastructure, see our Karachi news guide and our report on fire safety compliance in the city’s buildings.