Wasa asks local industry to invest in recycling sector

LAHORE : To reduce the import cost, Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has asked local industrialists associated with Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) to invest in recycling sector making manhole covers made of fibreglass having zero scrap value, which will stop theft of manhole covers and will save precious lives in the provincial capital.

The decision was taken by Wasa Managing Director Syed Zahid Aziz, who as Wasa MD Faisalabad had already introduced fibreglass manhole covers in the city and for the last five years not a single manhole cover in Faisalabad was stolen.

He recently held a meeting with Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry delegation in which he asked the local industrialists that this is a vibrant industry and demand of fibreglass manhole covers is high.

The agency has also submitted the project of replacing all steel structured manhole covers of provincial metropolis to the World Bank, which appreciated Wasa for taking this innovative solution to stop loss of precious lives in the provincial metropolis.

World Bank has agreed to provide funds for this project under Punjab Cities Governance Maintenance Project, revealed Wasa MD while talking with The News. A senior officer of Wasa’s technical wing said that a single manhole cover with frame is made with heavy weight iron material and can be sold in thousands of rupees, if stolen.

“Usually drug addicts and thieves stole manhole covers with their frames and sell them to scrap dealers at the rate of iron,” he said adding the city needed manhole covers of zero scrap value and fibreglass is the only solution.

“Theft of manhole covers is an international phenomenon and the practice can be witnessed in several mega cities such as Chicago, Mumbai and etc,” said Wasa MD. “The only solution to stop this practice is its replacement with a zero scrap value item and many modern cities have adopted various innovations in this regard,” he said adding Wasa has finally imported 1,600 sets (manhole cover with frame), which will be delivered and installed on all major city roads.

“Fibreglass manhole covers are fully traffic-rated and can easily bear 40-ton weight vehicle,” Wasa MD said adding these covers are also maintenance-free and are fully adjustable with the atmosphere of the city.

He maintained that replacement of iron cast manhole covers with fibreglass covers will also help in reducing road accidents, which occurred due to open manholes. He said fiberglass manhole covers are lighter and easier for utility workers to move and place.

Zahid Aziz claimed that many sewer and waste water systems are highly corrosive while fibreglass manhole covers and frames are perfect for the most corrosive settings found throughout municipal and industrial settings. “Sulfide-rich effluents along with a warm, humid atmosphere and long retention times create ideal conditions for microbiologically induced corrosion (MIC). MIC destroys typical sewer infrastructure but not fibreglass manholes,” he revealed.

He revealed that fibreglass manhole covers are better for non-conductive applications and may reduce electrocution incidents during rain.

He said cast iron manholes can interfere or block radio signal transmission, which was used during desilting of large sewer lines whereas fibreglass manhole covers offer little interference with radio frequency signals.

He said Wasa is installing SCADA system in the city and fibreglass manhole covers are an ideal fit for AMR systems, SCADA, telemetry, level monitoring, samplers, flow meters and other data acquisition devices.

“The minimum lifespan of a quality fibreglass manhole is 30+ years while a typical cast iron manhole system may require significant maintenance or replacement costs over that same period of time,” he concluded.

Fibreglass manhole covers offer a quick and affordable way to deter further manhole theft, said Naseemur Rehman, a senior officer of Environmental Protection Department (EPD). He said an active recycling industry is needed in provincial capital. He said Fibreglass Manhole Covers have no scrap value so thieves just move on to the next source of scrap.

Naseem added that open manholes are also a big source of air pollution while such manholes also got choked due to plastic bags and other waste resulting in blockage of entire sewer lines. He said once the agency install fibreglass manhole covers, this problem will also reduce.