The Minister for Development Cooperation in the Netherlands, Mrs. Agnes van Ardenne along with Dutch Ambassador to Pakistan, Mr. Marcel Kunpershoek and other dignitaries paid a visit to the Combined Effluent Treatment Plant (CEPT) at the Korangi tanneries in Karachi. The Dutch government, through Royal Netherlands Embassy, Islamabad is contributing about 8% of the capital costs towards the CETPin Korangi. It is expected that the plant will be commissioned by June 2005.
Following the visit, the Dutch minister held a meeting with the Managing Committee of PTA (S.Z) Environmental Society, the body overseeing the CETP and representatives of other private sectors in Karachi. Mr. Gulzar Firoz, President PTA (S.Z) Environmental Society briefed the Mrs van Ardenne and the other officials about the Environmental Management Programme for the tanneries in Korangi.
The Pakistan government is providing most of the finance for the project through the Export Development Fund (EDF), while the tanners are also contributing their own share towards the costs. The Dutch government is providing a Technical Assistance Grant towards the project to assist in the construction of the plant. The facility will cover over 15 acres of land and will serve 170 tanneries. It will have the capacity to treat a total of 43000m3 per day of tannery and domestic wastewater.
