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Biogas guzzlers: Karachi’s public buses to run on cow poo

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A new transportation option is about to hit roads in Pakistan: buses powered by cow manure.

According to a Reuters report published on Wednesday, the city of Karachi will launch a transportation network called the Green Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) next year, with all 200 zero-emissions vehicles in the fleet powered by bio-methane produced from water buffalo excrement.

If successful, the project could help the port city solve its transportation woes — and serve as a blueprint for other cities to roll out biopower transportation fleets.

All Aboard
According to the project website, Karachi’s new BRT network will cost a total of $583.5 million, with the United Nations Green Climate Fund, a local Pakistani province, and the Asian Development Bank funding the project.

The network will span a corridor 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) long, providing 1.5 million residents with a clean transportation option. Considering the dearth of alternatives in the city, it’s not entirely surprising that officials estimate 320,000 passengers will take advantage of the network each day.

“[Karachi’s] public transport system has totally collapsed,” commuter Afzal Ahmed told Reuters, “and most people have to use online taxi-hailing services [and] auto rickshaws.”

Environmental Impact
Karachi has 400,000 milk-producing water buffaloes, the manure of which officials will collect and transport to biogas plants for conversion into fuel to power the buses. Over the next 30 years, this will allow the city to avoid pumping an estimated 2.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent into the air.

The conversion of cow manure into fuel will also help the city save fresh water — currently, Pakistan uses 50,000 gallons of fresh water to wash 3,200 tonnes of manure into the bay every day, according to the Reuters report.

If all goes well, the project could inspire other cities to follow suit, Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, CEO of the policy think tank Leadership for Environment and Development Pakistan, told Reuters — meaning the impact of this one poo project could be far-flung.
 
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Plant more trees to reduce effects of co2 produced it is good option
 
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A new transportation option is about to hit roads in Pakistan: buses powered by cow manure.

According to a Reuters report published on Wednesday, the city of Karachi will launch a transportation network called the Green Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) next year, with all 200 zero-emissions vehicles in the fleet powered by bio-methane produced from water buffalo excrement.

If successful, the project could help the port city solve its transportation woes — and serve as a blueprint for other cities to roll out biopower transportation fleets.

All Aboard
According to the project website, Karachi’s new BRT network will cost a total of $583.5 million, with the United Nations Green Climate Fund, a local Pakistani province, and the Asian Development Bank funding the project.

The network will span a corridor 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) long, providing 1.5 million residents with a clean transportation option. Considering the dearth of alternatives in the city, it’s not entirely surprising that officials estimate 320,000 passengers will take advantage of the network each day.

“[Karachi’s] public transport system has totally collapsed,” commuter Afzal Ahmed told Reuters, “and most people have to use online taxi-hailing services [and] auto rickshaws.”

Environmental Impact
Karachi has 400,000 milk-producing water buffaloes, the manure of which officials will collect and transport to biogas plants for conversion into fuel to power the buses. Over the next 30 years, this will allow the city to avoid pumping an estimated 2.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent into the air.

The conversion of cow manure into fuel will also help the city save fresh water — currently, Pakistan uses 50,000 gallons of fresh water to wash 3,200 tonnes of manure into the bay every day, according to the Reuters report.

If all goes well, the project could inspire other cities to follow suit, Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, CEO of the policy think tank Leadership for Environment and Development Pakistan, told Reuters — meaning the impact of this one poo project could be far-flung.

This is great. I hope now Pakistan will understand the importance of cow and respect it. I hope they will understand the culture and values of their forefathers not what they adopted from the desert land which is uncivilized even today.
 
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This is great. I hope now Pakistan will understand the importance of cow and respect it. I hope they will understand the culture and values of their forefathers not what they adopted from the desert land which is uncivilized even today.
respect? we LOVE cows...(mainly their flesh) just like your true overlords from the desert did. ;)

#ThankYouMuhammedBinQasim
 
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This is great. I hope now Pakistan will understand the importance of cow and respect it. I hope they will understand the culture and values of their forefathers not what they adopted from the desert land which is uncivilized even today.
Buffalo/Cow manure (so called "Gobar" ) has been used in place of wood for fire centuries in subcontinent as well as rural villages in Pakistan even in current times, it has nothing to do with respect of cow. If your level of respect for some animal (cow) is drinking its urine, then yes surely talk about "uncivilized" all you want.
 
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Better use the manure to make your desert green..
It can achieved very easily .
Especially cholistan and thar can be converted into thriving forest with manure and filtered sweage water using drip irrigation and proper selection of Green trees .
 
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Who will own and operate the plant producing Biomethane gas? Government of Sindh or private corporation and why not also use human waste to produce Biomethane gas for power generation?
We can use the govt of sindh to produce gas, they are some high quality shit.
 
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