Waste management in Dharavi

Development Indicators

life expectancy at birth

GNI per capita

Problems associated with dump in Deonar

Health problems:
Infant mortality is 60.8 per 1000 live births compared with the rest of Mumbai which is 35.12 per 1000 1629 registered TB patients, Asthma, skin diseases and malaria are widespread and common in the area Dangerous diseases to do with biomedical waste being disposed of in the dump, epidemics much more likely as a result Lung problems also widespread

Environmental problems
Sight pollution (unpleasant) Very smelly (council recently spent $114,000 on 42,000 litres of perfume to manage the stench for about six to eight months. This is not a long term solution to the smell pollution) Bacteria in the dump produce about 4,251m3/hr of biogas, mostly methane into the atmosphere. This creates a fire hazard and the fires release smoke and other harmful products into the air. This is due to burning of plastics and non-plastics as well as other unsorted materials that could have dangerous end products. Polluted water flows into the ocean and other surrounding bodies of water, making some sources of fish and water unsafe for consumption which is a huge problem environmentally and economically.

Recycling and Success stories

Asias largest slum is also the worlds most prosperous with an approximate economic output of about 700m a year. It recycles almost every part of Mumbais waste, from car batteries to ball point pens and paper. The children of the slum are the porters, carrying bundles of waste from the dump site to the workshops where they are needed. There are aluminium smelters and even soap manufacturers/recyclers. The slum is home to approximately 15,000 single room factories with some employing more than 20 employees. The businesses and factories are all interlinked and provide good for each other. The rubbish is recycled in a kind of circle, for example cooking oil cans: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The children bring the cans into the workshops from the dump The first workshop irons out the dents in the cans The second workshop cleans and repaints the cans The third workshop polishes the cans The fourth sells the cans back to the oil companies and direct to local consumers

The chain most likely gets more complicated with products like computers and car products The slum employs over 250,000 of the 1M+ inhabitants in the recycling industry. The average household in Dharavi earns between 3,000 and 15,000 rupees a month which is well above agricultural wage levels and certain areas have beauty parlours, bars and clothing boutiques being patronised by the new middle classes of the slums. About 20% of the slums inhabitants are

employed in waste processing with the average waste picker sorting through 8.5 tonnes of waste each day. Mumbai generates about 11,209 tonnes of waste each day.

To what extent does Mumbai deal with its waste sustainably?

Informal recycling cuts garbage handling costs by as much as 20% Informal recycling produces nearly 25 times more jobs than landfill or incineration Reusing of materials is high and this cut down production emissions, roofing and paper reused etc Informal recycling sector is equivalent to removing around 175,000 passenger vehicles form the roads each year

In terms of environmental sustainability Mumbai has a double edged sword. The dump is not sustainable but it provides jobs for a very poor section of society. It also cuts costs through the informal recycling sector, however the problem is the health of the workers. With the slum so close and no viable sewage infrastructure, the area is prone to outbreaks of cholera and other communicable diseases. The lifespan of workers in the informal recycling sector is also cut by up to 40% with a lot of them dying young. Therefore environmentally it seems to have been a success but in terms of human cost it is a long way from being a success.

Ideas and policies to make it more sustainable in the future

Modernising the informal sector More training on how to handle hazardous materials More trade unions and benefits for the workers and their families Better sewage facilities in the slum The council also has to be more proactive in designating zones for types of waste i.e incineration points for bio-hazardous waste Providing tools of the trade to the workers, i.e. gloves and masks More credit and recognition given to the workers The slum should also be built up

Waste management is not very different in the two cities, the main differences are: Dharavi is informal Londons more modernised Dharavi employs more people Londons more specialised but has a far smaller amount of waste recycled

London can learn from Dharavi that almost anything is recyclable and the best option might not be to completely incinerate some products, if it can be fixed then it is still useful or it can be modified for another purpose, it also shows that waste recycling can be an asset to the economy of the city. Dharavi can take lessons from Londons method of sorting the waste into types as well as the way it deals with hazardous waste.