the city generates approximately 400 MT per day of solid waste. It is also estimated that not more than 50 percent of it is collected by the municipal system and the remaining stays scattered in the urban area mainly ending in open plots of land and on the streets. Multan does not have an adequately planned and appropriately designed landfill site. The urban landscape of Multan is characterized by a large number of low lying areas created as a result of brick kilns located earlier within the area now fully urbanized and built up. It is a regular practice in Multan to allow voluntary garbage dumping in these areas as an alternate to earth filling. The lack of adequate solid waste collection and disposal system and the prevailing practices of using these low lying areas as dumping grounds have resulted in devastating degradation of the environmental quality. The practice is a major source of environmental pollution as well as undesirable and dangerous both from development and construction points of view. The planned activity of improved collection and disposal will reduce the environmental hazard.

The primary objective of the Multan Environment Conservation Project is to demonstrate successful, or potentially successful, strategies for mobilizing communities and peoples to conserve their environment through promotion and support of activities to initiate and/or improve solid waste composting and social forestry.

The project main activities will be concentrated around:

1. Holding dialogue with the selected communities in order to bring awareness about the environmental issues including the solid waste management and social forestry. Mobilization and organization of the communities to carry out the community based solid waste management system.

2. Enhance the capacity of the community, community activists and representatives, local NGOs/CBOs and the local government agencies through advocacy, orientation and promotion of cost-effective methods for solid waste composting and social forestry based on the sharing of roles and responsibilities between the local communities and the local state.