Pakistan is planning to initiate a zero-emission bio-power transportation fleet of 200 buses in the port city of Karachi as part of its long term policy to brawl pollution with environment friendly transportation.
Malik Amin Aslam advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Climate Change said that the Bus Rapid Transit network will assist the city of 14 million people to stay away from 2.7 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air over the next 30 years.
Pakistan’s zero-emission public transport system buses will be motorized by cow muck after processing in biogas plants for conversion into fuel.
The bus network will consist of a 30-km fully segregated passage with 25 bus stations, bicycle lanes, bike-sharing facilities and improved pedestrian facilities. The fleet of buses will directly benefit 1.5 million residents of the metropolis and over 320,000 passengers will be served each day.
The project will cost an estimated US$583.5 million, with the United Nations Green Climate Fund, the Asian Development Bank and Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, where Karachi is situated.
The government should persuade the use of public transport and discourage the use of private vehicles by introducing clean and comfortable public buses with subsidized fares to control air pollution efficiently.
Farzana Yasmin, a senior environmentalist at Sustainable Development Policy Institute Pakistan, said it is comforting to see the government of Pakistan enchanting such an initiative by introducing carbon-neutral and climate smart public transport system.