Proceedings First Round table Discussion on Operational Issues, Sindh ­ Solid Waste Management (Karachi, December 18 - 19, 1998) 46517 UNDP - World Bank Lessons for Water and Improving Service Delivery Sanitation Program Learnings from Private & Non-Formal Sectors in Solid Waste Management South Asia Region Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority in collaboration with Dawood College of Engineering and Technology and Water and Sanitation Program - South Asia Introduction Remarks As the urban environment in Pakistan continues to deteriorate, there is growing recognition by Tasneem Siddiqi of the need for a sanitation policy and sound operational strategies for dealing with the (Director General, SKAA) problem in a rational and effective manner. In response to this the Water and Sanitation Program - South Asia has initiated a consultative process for policy development at the Summary of main points: Federal and Provincial levels in Pakistan. This process aims to draw in stakeholders at every level of service provision and management. This workshop has identified the beginnings of solutions to some A national seminar on urban environmental sanitation (UES) in March 1998 consulted of the problems in solid waste stakeholders at the senior level on current problems in the sector and produced outline management. recommendations on the type of policy needed. Following the seminar a program of provincial discussions was initiated to progress the policy debate and consult as widely as It is evident from the discussions possible. of the last two days that everybody already knows about While it was the second in a national series, the workshop was the first of its kind for the the issues in detail. We all want Sindh province and aimed to promote continuing dialogue and action for UES policy the problems to be solved but development in the province. The first looked at the full spectrum of UES issues in NWFP. at present various small attempts It also served as a networking event for UES professionals from the government, non- are being made in isolation; government and private sectors. they need to be integrated. We must also question whether we Karachi was selected as a venue for these discussions due to recent initiatives are competent to deliver a new, in solid waste management in the city, notably the privatization of the improved service. collection and disposal service in one district. The city also has a huge and thriving informal sector working in solid waste recycling. In Karachi we have the resources for effective solid Field visits to view these developments were provided during the workshop. waste management (such as a 500 acre landfill site, vehicles, During the workshop, participants reviewed the standard solid waste management process and surplus staff) but they are and identified the roles and potential roles of both private and informal sector operators not being used appropriately. (including NGOs) in improving solid waste management in the city. A central concern was the need to foster linkages between these players. The result was recommendations in two Karachi's huge population: 12 main areas and an outline action plan for policy development in the province. lakh households and 10 million people presents an enormous This report provides a summary of the discussion and recommendations arising from the challenge and under present workshop. circumstances nobody could manage all of the garbage The issue of how to privatize solid waste management services was not resolved. produced from the households. Similarly no consensus was reached on the viability of primary collection services in Pakistan, We need to adopt appropriate though several participants recommended that where this is attempted, partnerships should technological means for getting be developed between service providers and the community (via CBOs or NGOs) and waste from the houses to the between the public and private sectors. landfill sites and people may be able to do a lot more for At the end of the two days deliberation participants recommended the formation of two themselves with appropriate committees: support. In Orangi, for example, Action Plan the majority of the population developed their own sewerage Committee 1 Committee 2 with the agency providing only Solid Waste Private Sector Monitoring advice on how to do it. Group Members: Group Members: Noman Ahmed, Aly Ercelawn, Nargis Latif, M. Hussain, Abdul Khalique, Mansoor Ali, Finally the role of all actors must M. Hussain Sayed, Khalid Shaikh, M. Haneef Sara Azfar, Noman Ahmed be clearly established, and we must also address the issue of TOR: TOR: commercial and industrial · Gather waste collection data · Assess current contract waste, which was not covered · Consult stakeholders on present practices · Recommendations on improving current by this forum. and issues contract and future private sector · Assess replications of best practices, models, involvement studies · Recommendation for a pilot project A general overview of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) process in Karachi The starting point for discussion was the development of a common understanding of the standard SWM process. The chart below represents the system that can be found in many cities throughout the world - especially wealthier ones. In Karachi, however, there is no official primary storage or collection service in most areas (though most people make informal arrangements), hence the shading of those steps. Actor Generation Primary Storage Primary Collection Secondary Secondary Disposal General Points Storage Collection Municipal Council · Need for reduction · Problem that bins · Appropriate vehicles · Appropriate · Management - · Distance from · Continuous are not available or skips are not used technology & staff collection time is a transfer station coordination among · Need for awareness maintained · Councillors should management is not problem · Who has the right the actors raising with have an active role used · Can be done by to use them? households · There is lack of both MC and the · Should coordination of private sector maintenance be · Promote separation agencies mainly the MC's and reuse/recycling of · Collection timings responsibility organic waste: scope should be set through for all actors formal/ consultation informal · No maintenance funds are employed · Can NGOs be · Fill gap: service NGO involved in source providers-users · Can they play a · Should their role be separation role? of a monitor? · Need more research · Are there effective into private sector CBO NGOs/CBOs in · NGOs need support involvement in all smaller cities? of MC stages of process · On self-help basis people can do primary storage · Link with existing Informal Sector informal systems- CBO? · Possible lead from private sector Private Sector · Replicate Safai · Integrate with past · Involve private Kamai MC efforts sector but with extreme caution · Incentive Households · Own responsibility · Own responsibility · Should their role be · Also CBOs mechanisms need to · Link with Sweepers of a monitor? be put in place Karachi The SWM Department of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) estimates that 60% of the city's daily generation of 6,000 tons is collected by the municipal service (this figure is disputed), with the rest remaining at collection points and on dump sites. Weekly or monthly campaigns are made for its disposal but these are generally unsuccessful - the campaigns are not continued until all garbage has been removed. SWM problems in the city worsened after the second world war due to the use of disposable items, especially plastic bags, which cause drainage problems. A few years ago an initiative known as the 'garbage train' was introduced whereby waste was transferred from collection points to a train and carried by rail to an out-of-town disposal site. Unfortunately the scheme failed due largely to a lack of coordination and cooperation between provincial and federal agencies. Participants identified SWM Problems in relation to this backdrop in Karachi · In sabzi mandi (vegetable market) people refuse to throw waste in the designated place and expect sweepers to clear up - they are dependent on the municipal service. · The KMC disposal site is not used by other agencies and following abandonment of the garbage train, unofficial sites are emerging (as many as 3,000 according to one representative compared with 300 official sites). · Burning of garbage by waste pickers is common even at landfill sites. · Is it really viable for a private contractor to provide household collection? KMC cannot do this; they already collect 1800 tons per day in District Central alone. · Ownership of the existing landfill site is unclear. KMC should consider privatization of sites. · Municipal sanitation staff are untrained, unsupervised, lack motivation, and are under no pressure to work. There are opportunities for corruption and many ghost workers are appointed as sweepers. · The SWM service is subject to considerable political interference due to vested interests. · There is no coordination between different government departments, each of which has its own area of jurisdiction. People have to consult and coordinate with three dozen institutions of government. · What is the real number of NGOs/CBOs active in SWM in Karachi compared with other cities, and how effective are they? · There is a lack of awareness of SWM issues at the household level. Efforts are needed to reduce waste generation at source. · Responsibilities at household, area and government levels must be clearly defined. Responsibilities should be shared with the people, but it is not clear whether they are willing to do something. The following discussion Case Study: Privatized Waste Collection in Karachi was held on actors in an SWM Process Karachi Metropolitan Corporation recently The Municipal Perspective awarded a contract to Al Khalid Agencies, a M. Hussain Syed, DMC Central local contractor, for the provision of solid Players in SWM waste collection and disposal services in one Why Privatize? district of the city. The privatization was still The roles and potential roles of new at the time of the workshop but it · To avoid administrative problems these players were identified in nevertheless provided a useful case study for associated with municipal services ­ such relation to the steps in the SWM exploring the potential benefits of privatization, as inter-departmental delays and non- process, as shown in the table. The and its limitations. cooperation to avoid union problems two main main type of actors discussed were: This was done via presentations from both · To free up limited resources so that they the municipality and the contractor, followed can be deployed for more neglected The Formal Sector by discussion. areas This refers to the government · To learn from the private sector practices, agencies which provide SWM Contract Details introduce competition and improve services; the metropolitan effectiveness corporation in the case of Karachi. Work began in November 1998 under an · To reduce operational costs and The `formal' service is the municipal initial one-year contract with possible extension overheads (such as pensions and staff service. to a maximum four years. The contract value gratuities) by as much as 50% is Rs. 43.5 million per annum. The Informal Sector Overall, it was envisaged that a privatized This term is used to refer to those Payment is according to the weight of refuse service could be more efficient and cost players active in SWM but working lifted, at Rs. 284 per ton (exclusive). Estimated effective than existing municipal arrangements. outside the formal service, and quantity of waste to be lifted is 420 tons per includes both commercial and non- day / 153,300 tons per annum. Why these Locations? commercial actors. The commercial informal sector comprises a myriad Service to be provided FBA is a planned settlement in which it may of independent operators dealing be possible to create public awareness and in waste collection, purchase, 1. Primary and secondary collection on a appreciation of cleanliness. North Karachi separation, restoration, resale and daily or alternate daily basis, in 21 blocks was selected in order to test the same recycling. The scale of operations in North Nazimabad (a middle-income approach in an area with some lower income ranges from itinerant manual area) and North Karachi (middle-to-low households. workers to large recycling factories. income). The area served comprises: At the upper end the businesses Contract Management are so large that in Karachi they import waste from other Asian and 25,000 Checks and balances on the contractor's middle-eastern countries. household units (Federal B. Area) performance will be achieved via monitoring 47,000 street cleanliness and transfer points by DMC. Municipal sanitation staff also form household units (North Karachi) The contract sets a legal framework for part of the informal sector since ensuring that obligations are met. most perform private duties on top of their official role by collecting Total 72,000 Results waste from households for a small fee, and by sorting waste for resale Work has only recently begun but initial and recycling. 2. Mechanical street cleaning of greenbelt areas and removal of construction debris. findings are that sweeping has improved Non-commercial players include 3. Collection from hospital, commercial, slightly, while the amount of waste lifted has NGOs and CBOs. Unlike other institutional and commercial sites in the gone down a little. A positive feature is that independent operators their same area. unlike the DMC, which has many motivation is not profit but a cleaner 4. Removal of waste from collection points departments, the contractor has a simple environment, resource conservation and katchra kundis and disposal at organization structure making the coordination and the well-being of the public recognized sites. Burning of garbage is of work much easier. On the negative side, and sanitary workers. They tend to not permitted either at collection points it appears at present that the contractor does respond to those aspects of SWM or the dumping site. not have the capacity to meet all the demands in which the municipal service is 5. Community awareness-raising on good of the contract. Nevertheless, DMC believe weakest such as the provision or waste disposal practices. that overall the new system is an improvement management of primary collection on the old service. and secondary storage, public education, the promotion of recycling, and research and advocacy for better public services. Issues and Questions Raised The Contractor's Perspective Participants highlighted a number of concerns, not Khalid Shaikh, Proprietor Al Khalid Agencies so much with the principle of privatizing services, but with the way the new service had been planned Previous Experience and established: In 1996, the Director began providing a waste collection service for flats in 1.Regarding contract management, the lack of any specific performance criteria was identified North Nazimabad, a predominantly white-collar area. as a weakness; it was not even clear how the weight of garbage lifted would be assessed or Resource Deployed the billing system would work. Monitoring was currently done by the Chief Sanitary Inspector, There are sites offices and the contractor uses his own workshop, which enables via daily visits and on-site assessments; complaint work at night. He has ensured that 95% of vehicles are in constant working cells have been setup which the public could order. use in the case of unsatisfactory service (and through elected representatives in the area). Similarly, there were no incentives for good Staff Comprises: Supervisors 16 performance built into the scheme. Drivers 20 2.Some (including the DMC) felt that the scale of Sweepers 550 the task was too ambitious, particularly the Night Sweepers 15 requirement for house collection which the Mechanics 4 municipality had never been able to provide. Helpers 10 That the contractor had so far managed to provide primary collection to only 25 of target households was worrying; one suggestion was to reduce the target by half. There are no hard and fast rules on the length of staff contracts as it may be necessary to increase or decrease staffing according to service requirements. While accepting that the primary service was None of the sweepers are from the former municipal service. not yet adequate, the contractor did not want to see it deleted from the contract. Rather, he The technology used includes household dust bins, tricycles for primary collection, hoped that it would take off so that eventually and refuse trucks. Incinerators will be used for the disposal of hospital waste. katchra kundis on main roads and greenbelt areas would become obsolete. Protective clothing, safety uniform, boots and gloves, are provided to sanitation staff. 3.No adequate disposal site had been allocated; the contractor was dumping in the same places A planned target of 1-2 minutes per household has been kept for primary used by the previous municipal service. The collection. Night collections are made from 8-12 pm. DMC said they were seeking a suitable site. 4.The fate of displaced municipal staff was another Community education will be provided, hopefully via local NGOs and/or concern; the DMC planned to relocate them CBOs ­ details have not yet been worked out. but many were still working in the area. It appeared that in planning the privatization the The level of investment means that no profit can be made in year one; it will DMC had not paid due regard to the strong take two years to recover costs. customary ties between municipal sweepers and households. Problems 5.A question was raised as to why extra resources were not given direct by the community so that The contract is new and there have inevitably been problems, including: they could manage the service themselves; the DMC did not regard this as a realistic option · A huge backlog of work left by the municipality, including building debris. for good results. This is slowing progress and currently primary collection is being provided 6.No community consultation was done by the to only 25% of target households while secondary collection is at 75% of contractor prior to starting the service, though target level. a press conference was held. Some felt that this · Unions and local mafia hindering progress. was an omission but the contractor argued that · Delays in handing over waste. awareness-raising is a long term undertaking · High expectations of the municipality and public. and could not be completed before the service began. · Municipal sweepers still operating in area. Many have long- established private arrangements with households for the removal of their 7.On the question of waste refuse and recycling, waste and some have continued even after they have officially been re- this did not form part of the contractor's work- deployed. plan; in fact he knew very little about it. Generally, some participants were surprised that many of the problems had not been foreseen and dealt with at the planning stage. Some NGO/CBO initiatives discussed: A number of visual presentations were made to highlight the activities and potential of the informal sector (including NGOs) in solid waste management. Videos were also shown on informal sector recycling and solid waste problems in Karachi. A field visit was also made to see informal sector generation and a CBO initiative. Kabaris in Karachi Gul Bahao and `Safai Kamai' Pakistan Environment Welfare and Bank Recycling Program (PEWARP) Kabaris are large-scale waste dealers who operate from shops and Nargis Latif is a passionate Karachi An endeavor closely associated with Gul Bahao godowns. There are approximately environmentalist who has mounted a is the production of compost known as `Haryali 1,000 in Karachi, and most specialize vigorous campaign to promote Khad' (Green Fertilizer). Community-based in just one type of waste which they environmental awareness and recycling composting has previously been attempted in buy at auctions or from middle dealers at schools, through the radio and Karachi and many other places and is potentially or import, and resell to recycling newspapers and via other promotional important given the lack of commercial interest in plants, locally or elsewhere in Pakistan. endeavors. She has worked extensively organic waste, which forms a higher percentage There are also some that do the with school children, Girl Guides and of garbage in low-income communities. However, recycling themselves. house wives to increase awareness on while there have been successes in community solid waste. mobilization and production of compost, such Officially, informal and municipal solid schemes rarely flourish due to the lack of a market waste activities are entirely separate. Her most recent initiative is the `Safai for the product. In practice, informal operators interact Kamai Bank' and her slogan is with the formal service at every stage `Garbage is Gold'. Another local NGO, (PEWARP) has now taken up of its operation, and much of the the idea and established a small production unit domestic waste removed reaches Now one year old, the `Safai Kamai manufacturing three organic products from waste Kabaris and ultimately, the recycling Bank' operates every Tuesday from the purchased from itinerant waste buyers at Karachi's industry. Overall, however waste from Bazaar in Karachi's Kashmir Road. huge subzi mandi (vegetable market). The vegetable domestic sources represents only a Here people can bring their dry waste is crushed and the liquid extract collected, small percentage of Kabaris business. garbage for sale on a per Kg basis, which results in: liquid concentrate sold as a the price paid depends on the item. pesticide, dilute liquid sold as fertilizer, and solid Many of these businesses are Items purchased include newspaper, residue know as `Haryali Khad'. substantial and they have formed at other paper waste, cardboard, plastic least two Kabari Associations to bags (which itinerant waste buyers will The Haryali products are now being professionally safeguard their interests. not take), metal, glass and plastic packaged and produced to a standard composition mineral water bottles. and quality. PEWARP act as a wholesaler and These are the Sher Shah Kabari market the products through nurseries; they also Association and Anjuman Tahaffuz- Regular customers can build up credit hope it will sell to farmers. e-Kabarian. They both focus on at the bank and when Rs. 500 is providing protection for members and reached, they are given a gold coin ­ lobbying with the government. hence the slogan `Garbage is Gold'. Shehri Alternatively, people can receive cash for each sale. This Karachi-based NGO, also known as `Citizens for a Better Environment ' is primarily concerned with the protection and conservation of the natural Karachi Administration Women Welfare Society (KAWWS) and built environment. Within this wide brief it has undertaken research on solid waste problems, KAWWS started as a residents' association and began its work in solid waste in especially of the municipal service and recently 1988 in response to the lack of waste collection services in its area, which has low- produced recommendations for improved to-middle-income residents. At the time the roads were unpaved and the population neighborhood bin designs. SHEHRI also promotes density was not very high. The Association put pressure on the municipality to provide awareness on solid waste management amongst a collection vehicle and slowly they responded; firstly with monthly collections, then the general public, via its publications. weekly, and eventually daily. Thereafter KAWWS established close contact with the crew and took a number of steps to improve the service. Young Professionals Training Unit (YPTU), Dawood College, Karachi Residents' contributions to the scheme began at Rs. 10 per month and now stand at Rs. 150. However, this fee covers not only solid waste services but also the The fellows of this unit are working on community management of local parks and civic amenities. Unfortunately, the scheme has motivation for better SWM in some low-income foundered in recent times due to lack of municipal support, political interference areas. Following a motivation campaign, CBOs and demographic change. in the project area appointed sweepers and one hundred houses now support them. With YPTU Though disappointed, KAWWS has not given up the battle for better services and assistance they have also secured the services of is developing plans for a household collection scheme funded by residents. a municipal vehicle. YPTU see community education as very important in promoting better SWM. Recommendations from Working Groups · Municipality initiate pilot projects for formal-informal linkages Privatization and integration · Involve the private sector for efficiency gains · Prioritize elements of the integrated systems · Promote competition via bidding between private, formal · Municipality should auction the right to separate waste and and informal sectors develop the landfill site · Award contracts transparently only to genuine, competent · Develop public-private partnerships at the following levels: contractors - Neighborhood · SWM to be linked to the rights of sponsorship Vs. - Secondary advertisements - Landfill (done in Sri Lanka?) · Introduce user charges in the private sector contract · Need more time before assessing the result of privatization · Facilitate the informal sector through assistance with · Develop evaluation mechanisms for private sector services technology etc. · Appoint a third party to oversee private contracts · Community mobilization should be linked to the secondary · Enforce accountability measures (municipal) system · Identify which steps can be privatized · The municipality should promote source separation · Integrate the private sector and past municipal efforts · Promote dry/organic composting · Initiate small projects: Informal Sector - Action research by NGOs · Focus on traditional vs. non-traditional methods of SWM - Monitor the private sector and clarify roles · Involve the informal sector in organizing dust bins and waste separation · Enhance the capacity of municipal staff · Encourage research by the informal sector · Improve finance generation and cost recovery · Facilitate waste pickers at landfill sites Community Management · Users need to be consulted prior to any intervention · Establish an environmental database · Demand management should be facilitated through · Improve staff supervision community groups · Reduce the gap between existing and required capacity · Existing residents' committees to be involved in planning · Improve vehicle maintenance and managing services · Introduce waste separation and recycling · Implement local community mobilization · Provide daily collection from dust bins · Existing institutional arrangements should be integrated into · Develop disposal sites SWM schemes · Community roles and responsibilities should be clarified Technology / Process and communicated · Use local technology if possible · People should be encouraged to bury wet garbage at home · Mass awareness should be undertaken to ensure participation and separate garbage at source into dry and wet components · Women's participation should be promoted Acronyms CBO Community Based Organization DCET Dawood College of Engineering & Tech. DMC District Municipal Committee FBA Federal B. Area IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature KAWWS Karachi Administration Women Welfare Society KMC Karachi Metropolitan Corporation LG&RD Local Government & Rural Development MC Municipal Committee NGO Non Government Organization NWFP North Western Frontier Province P&D Planning & Development PEWARP Pakistan Environmental Welfare & Recycling Program SKAA Sindh Katchi Abadi Authority SWM Solid Waste Management TOR Terms Of Reference UES Urban Environmental Sanitation UK United Kingdom UNDP United Nations Development Programme WEDC Water Engineering Development Center YPTU Young Professionals Training Unit List of Participants Mr. Noman Ahmed Mr. Arshad Samad Khan Raufar Kumar Ravi DCET, Karachi IUCN-SPCS Unit PE&D Department, Peshawar DCET, Karachi Dr. Mansoor Ali Mr. Saleem Ullah Khan Mr. Hadi Bux Shaikh WEDC, UK DCET, Karachi Municipal Committee Tando Mohammad Khan (Hyderabad) Mr. Irfan Saeed Alvi Mr. Umar Khan Deputy Director Pak EPA, Islamabad District Municipal Corporation, Karachi Ms. Sarah Siddiqi Karachi Administration Women Welfare Society, Mr. Farhan Anwar Mr. Muhammad Younus Khan Karachi SHEHRI, Karachi Young Professional Training Unit (DCET), Karachi Mr. Tasneem Ahmad Siddiqui Mr. Aly Ercelawn Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority, Karachi DCET, Karachi Ms. Nargis Latif Gul Bahao, Karachi Mr. Jawed Sultan Mr. Ferozuddin Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority, Karachi DCET, Karachi Mr. Shah Muhammad Misbah Town Planning Department, Hyderabad Mr. Mohammad Hussain Syed Mr. Allah Bachayo Gabol DMC Central, Karachi Town Committee Naushahero Feroze Mr. Naeem Akhtar Naeem Ministry of Environment (LG&RD), Islamabad Mr. M. Hanif Water & Sanitation Program -South Asia CBO Worker, Karachi Mr. Abdul Majid Narejo Islamabad Town Committee Mithi Capt. Qazi Kabeer Mr. Allah Javaya DMC East, Karachi Mr. Muhammad Nawaz Mr. Farrukh Ansar Environmental Protection Agency, Karachi Ms. Mehreen Hosain Mr. Abdul Khaliq Mr. Raja Rehan Arshad Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority, Karachi Dr. Aslam Pervaiz Ms. Rahat Asad DMC East, Karachi Ms. Sara Fatima Azfar Mr. Muhammad Humayun Khan Ministry of Environment Local Governemnt & Mr. Akber Ali Rana Rural Development, Islamabad Pakistan Environmental Organization, Kehkashan, Mr. Jeremy Collins Karachi Consultant WSP-SA Water and Sanitation Program - South Asia The mission of the program is to help disadvantaged people gain sustained access to improved water and sanitation services. Its current Urban Environmental Sanitation (UES) strategy in Pakistan is focused on three areas: -- Policy development -- Development and promotion of good practice -- Dissemination of sectoral learning In addition to the dialogue on policy development, current initiatives include compilation of a database of sector organizations and projects, and work on pilot projects for city-wide planning based on the "Strategic Sanitation Approach". SKAA For Further Information SKAA was established by the government of Sindh in 1987 to expedite the process of regularization and up-gradation of squatter settlements in Sindh. SKAA has so An unabridged version of the proceedings far taken up the process of regularization in over 200 settlements. Simultaneously, is available at the address given below. If it has improved water and sanitation systems in 33 settlements by incurring expenditure you have any comments, queries or of rupees 44.5 million. The basic approach of SKAA is based on principles of suggestions concerning the workshop or participation and full cost recovery. the policy development process, please contact: DCET Raja Rehan Arshad The Department of Architecture and Planning at the Dawood College of Engineering WSP-SA Team Leader and Technology, Karachi, has been promoting socially responsive professional World Bank, PO Box 1025, education as its philosophy. The Department has also extended technical and Shahrah-e-Jamhuriat, professional advice to many municipal agencies and public sector institutions with Ramna (G-5/1) the objective of fostering socially responsive development. Two of its constituent units Islamabad, Pakistan namely the Urban Design Program and Karachi Mega City Institute have been actively supporting several urban planning and development projects for some years Tel: 051-819781-6, Fax 051-826362, now. E-mail: sansar@worldbank.org