Govt to auction or send back polluted cargo: minister

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh revealed on Wednesday that thousands of tonnes of cargo were dumped at Karachi Port, saying the government was planning to either auction or send back polluted cargo to its originated countries as they were producing waste and pollution.Complaints were received that developed countries dumped polluted cargo at Karachi Port having no claimant, which was creating waste and pollution, said the minister, while speaking at the “National Policy Dialogue on Circularity and Used Textile Trade in Pakistan” organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).The minister said textile was one of the major businesses in Pakistan, with used textile goods providing affordable stuff as 40 percent population - 100 million people - were living below poverty line. Maritime day observed: Govt to support ‘green shipping’ initiatives: QaiserHe said more than 430,000 metric tonnes of used clothing arrived in Pakistan in fiscal year 2023-24 with the support of port and shipping infrastructure.He emphasised the vital role of Pakistan’s maritime infrastructure in facilitating the import of second-hand textiles, adding that he recognised that the efficient handling of these imports was essential for supporting local economies, job creation, and textile recycling efforts.The federal minister said his ministry was focusing on improving port efficiency and container management to streamline the processing of these goods, ensuring that shipments were processed in a timely and cost-effective manner.The minister also outlined its ongoing efforts to develop waste sorting hubs for textile recycling, a key step in managing textile waste and reducing the environmental impact of global textile trade.DG Textile Mudassir Raza said used circularity and textile produced around two million jobs in Pakistan. He also talked about government’s intervention by export development fund which was still continuing. Other speakers said the country was among the top importers of second-hand textiles mostly exported by the European Union, needed green measures to ensure sustainability and circularity as refurbishment of such goods burdened local water and energy resources. Many SMEs are associated with the textile sector contributing greatly to countries economy, whereas, it is estimated that the textile industry was valued at $1.6 trillion in 2023 that will reach up to $3.3 trillion by 2030, they added.UNEP Head Economic and Trade Policy Unit Asad Naqvi said the second-hand textile was important for poor masses and the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and value chains that were around it.Since second-hand textile are being imported, it is contributing significantly towards the circularity with an added expense to it in the form of energy and the water that is being used to refurbish such textiles, he added.Jeroen Willems, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Pakistan, said used textiles were effectively being exported to Pakistan, Ghana and Tunisia by Europe and the demand of second-hand textiles would double globally. “Pakistan is among the top importers of such second-hand textiles. In the EU, there is a notion of ‘fast fashion’ in which on average people discard a shirt after using it seven times. Resulting in a huge waste of many resources such as energy, water, and chemicals,” he added. Willems said the EU was developing rules regarding effective sorting of clothes that were to be reused or recycled. Yulia Bazhenova of GIZ Germany, Mustafa Sattar, Retex Global and KPEX Karachi also addressed at the event.Copyright Business Recorder, 2024