Solid Waste Management at Shandur Polo Festival 2008 by the

Pakistan Wetlands Programme

A Report

July 2008

Written by:
Farasat Ali
Research Intern
Pakistan Wetlands Programme, NAWC Regional Operations Base, Gilgit.

Supervised by:

Dr. Humaira Khan________________________

Wetlands Specialist, Pakistan Wetlands Programme, NAWC Regional
Operations Base, Gilgit.

Tajdar Hussian ________________________

Coordinator, Pakistan Wetlands Programme, NAWC Regional Operations Base,
Gilgit.
Abbreviations
PWP Pakistan Wetlands Programme.
NAEPA Northern Areas Environmental Protection Agency.
WWF World Wide Fund.
NGOs Non Government Organizations.
SLSOT Shandur Local Support Organization Teru.
NAFD Northern Areas Forest Department.
MCG Municipal Committee Gakuch.
NWFPWD North West Frontier Province Wildlife Department
Pers. comm. Personal Communication

2
 Executive Summary

Langer Shandur wetland complex comprises of three high altitude lakes and
is one of the largest wetland ecosystems in the Ghizer district of the Northern
Areas. It lies at N 36º 04' and 72º31’ at an elevation of 3,353 - 3,810 m above
sea level and the famous Shandur polo festival takes place annually at the
top of Shandur pass.

This study was designed to estimate the amount and types of solid waste
collected and disposed off by the Pakistan Wetlands Programme and its
partners during the Shandur polo festival 2008. The main partners of PWP
were the NAEPA, NAFD, NWFPWD and local support organisations from
both Ghizer and Chitral. Partners donated materials, technical help or
volunteers for the cleanup, depending on their resources.

Results show that the total bio-degradable solid waste collected by PWP and
its partners was 1256.3 kg while the total non-biodegradable solid waste was
2931.3 kg. This means that 30% was biodegradable and 70% was non-
biodegradable. Estimated per capita solid waste generated was 0.279 kg, out
of which per capita biodegradable solid waste was 0.0837 kg, and per capita
non biodegradable solid waste was 0.1953 kg. A total of 550 garbage bags
were collected and dumped into a landfill and each bag on average weighed
7.5 kg.

While many organizations and shopkeepers showed cooperation with PWP

others were indifferent towards the concept of a Clean Shandur. Greater
degree of awareness raising should be carried next year out to bring such
people on-board.

In future the local governments of district Ghizer and Chitral should also be
partners of PWP in waste management because they are the main players
and organizers of the festival activities. Prior arrangement with event
organizers for banner displays and Awareness Walks should be made for
easier execution. Moreover, greater effort should be made to separate the
waste and recycle material as much as possible. Arrangements with recycling
companies in down-country could be made to sell the material to them, or it
could be sold to more traditional waste re-cyclers. Biodegradable material
could be buried in the ground.

The volunteers’ numbers should be increased from 30 this year to at least 40-
45 next year to conduct a more effective clean-up drive Volunteers should be
provided with sticks with hooks to pick up garbage instead of picking with
hands

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 Table of Contents

Title Page No

Executive Summary ................................................................................................

Chapter-1 The Langer-Shandur Valley 05
Chapter 2 Background of the Study 07
Chapter 3 Solid Waste Management and the Role of PWP 09
Chapter 4 Results and Discuss 14

Annex - 1 Questionnaire 19
Annex - 2 Pictures 22

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 Chapter-1

The Langer-Shandur Valley

Introduction:

The Shandur plateau stretches 10 km down eastward to form the Langer valley.
This area is basically pasture land for Teru, Barsat, Gulakhtori and others
adjacent valleys of Ghizer and Chitral districts. Langer valley has extensive peat
bogs and perennial streams which originate from Khukush Lake and Shandur
pass. All the lakes and peat bogs have been created by permanent streams. The
valley remains entirely covered with snow during the winter season.

Title Size(ha) Elevation(m)

Langer lake 81 3780
Langer peat lands 500 3352
Shandur lake-1 184.11 3749
Shandur lake-2 7.62 _
Shandur peat lands 80 _
Total area 853 _

Fish species:
Langer-Shandur valley is famous as trout breeding grounds in the Northern
Areas. The brown trout was introduced here in 1930, which now dominates most
of the water bodies across the valley. Among local species Gahi chemo
(Schizothorax plagiostomus) and kanozobo (Triplophysa scoliczki) are found.
In1993, Northern Areas Fisheries Department also introduced carp in Shandur
Lake, of which the result are not yet clear.

During the polo festival approximately 15,000 people gather at Shandur to see
the culture of Northern Areas and Chitral. During this time almost 20% of the
visitors use fisheries as food for four days (pers. comm. Local Government
Chitral). The fishing methods are commonly explosive; generator electricity, rod,
and netting. The camping sites are near the wetland complex and solid waste
generated by them is a big threat to wetlands and its biota.

Important fauna:
This includes snow leopard (Uncia uncia), wolf (Canis lupus), Himalayan ibex
(Capra ibex sibirica) cape hare (Lepus capensis) and golden marmot (Marmote
caudata caudate). The snow leopard is endangered.

5
Avifauna:
Includes Himalayan snow cock (Tetraogallus himalyensis), snow partridge
(Lerwa lerwa), brown dipper (Cinclus pallasii), and white wagtail (Motacilla Alba).

Vegetation:
The area is situated in sub alpine and alpine zones of Pakistan. Langer-Shandur
wetland complex represents an example of near to a natural wetland found within
this region. The surrounding and upstream catchments of the lake contain a
number of the representative flora of high altitude wetlands. Some of the plant
species are:

Birch, willow, pencil cedar, juniper, wild rose, mullein, trifolium, dandelion, wild
thyme, wild strawberry, curled sock, ephedra, Artemisia spp, cumin, wild onion
and alfalfa.

Migratory water birds:

Include northern pintail, common teal, shoveler, and grey heron, which visit the
area in spring and autumn seasons.

Tourism:
The area is an excellent tourist resort during the Shandur polo festival.
Thousands of local, national and international tourists visit and stay in the area
for 4-5 days. Apart from this, large numbers of tourists cross the Shandur pass to
enter Chitral valley from Gilgit and vice versa.

Water:
Wetlands provide perennial flow of water to nearby villages, especial for drinking
and irrigation purposes.

Pastures:
Some of the pastures of the area are in good condition while others are over-
grazed. Almost 200 hectares potential pastures are found where 4,000-6,000
livestock graze annually during the summer months.

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 Chapter-2

Background of the Study

This study was designed to estimate the amount and types of solid waste
collected and disposed off by the Pakistan Wetlands Programme and its partners
during the Shandur polo festival 2008, identify gaps in its solid waste
management strategy and make recommendations for improving it in the future.

Waste:

Waste is an unwanted or undesired material or substance. It is also referred to as

rubbish, trash, garbage, or junk depending upon the type of material and the
regional terminology. In living organisms, waste relates to unwanted substances
or toxins that are expelled from them.

Waste management:

Waste management is the human control of the collection, treatment and

disposal of different wastes. This is in order to reduce the negative impacts waste
has on environment and society.

Kinds of waste:

Biodegradable

Biodegradable such as food waste or sewage, is broken down naturally by

microorganisms either aerobically or anaerobically. If the disposal of
biodegradable waste is not controlled it can cause a number of wider problems
including contributing to the release of greenhouse gases and can impact upon
human health via encouragement of pathogens.

Non biodegradable

Such as polythene bags, tin, glass, wrappers, blades, syrings and others do not
degrade for a long time period and pose threats to humans and livestock of the
area.

Geographic scope of the study:

The geographic scope of the study was within the Langer-Shandur wetland
complex, particularly the lake sites, shops, tents, roads, bazaar and dumping
sites.

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Objectives of the study:

1. Identify the type, composition and sources of solid waste generated during the
festival.

2. Estimate the amount of total solid waste in each dustbins per day.

3. Identify and estimate the total solid waste generated during the festival.

4. Recommend improvements for future solid waste management strategy at the

Shandur polo festival

Research Methods:

♦ Review of Literature
This was conducted to get vital information about solid waste collection
and ways of solid waste disposal. Developed countries approach was also
considered.

♦ Questionnaire survey
Questionnaires survey was carried out at the site to gather primary data
from the local community and tourists. One questionnaire was used.

♦ Personal meeting
Meetings were held with different experts of solid waste to get proper
information about the nature and threats of solid waste. Meeting with NA-
EPA and WWF-P Gilgit were very useful.

♦ Personal observations
Personal observations were also very helpful in assessing the
effectiveness of the solid waste management strategy at the Shandur polo
festival.

Obstacles:

The problems faced during the study were:

1. Weak cooperation from the Northern Areas Administration, Chitral Scouts and
local people

2. Difficulty in acquiring proper equipment for the study

3. Lack of data from previous years on solid waste from MCG and other sources

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 Chapter- 3

Solid Waste Management and the Role of Pakistan Wetlands Programme.

Introduction to PWP:
The Pakistan Wetland Programme (PWP) is a seven year long, Ministry of
Environment’s programme based in Islamabad and implemented by WWF
Pakistan. The programme’s aim is to promote the conservation of Pakistan’s
freshwater and coastal wetlands and their associated biodiversity by means of
two distinct sub-set of intervention:

Programme components:

1. Creation of a national enabling environment

Strengthening of appropriate institutions for sustainable management and
conservation of wetlands;

• Development and implementation of a comprehensive, inter-sectoral,

national wetlands conservation strategy;
• Comprehensive investigation of the extended and condition of Pakistan’s
naturally occurring wetlands:
• Enhancement of planning and management capacity for wetlands
conservation by the introduction of decision-making tools such as
geographic information systems;
• Enhancement of technical capacity to conserve wetlands within key
government agencies and communities;
• Improvement of public awareness and support for wetlands conservation;
and development of effective financial sustainability mechanisms for
wetlands conservation.

2. Implementation of Participatory Wetlands Management in Four

Demonstration Sites
• Makran coastal wetlands complex.
• Central Indus wetlands complex.
• Salt range wetlands complex.
• Northern Alpine wetlands complex.

Rationale for PWP Intervention at Shandur:

The solid waste threats to Langer-Shandur wetlands complex are increasing
because of the polo festival and ill managed tourism which are in turn causing
soil and water pollution. The Northern Areas Fisheries Department and Northern
Areas Forest Department say that the Shandur area is being degraded at a rapid
rate which is threatening the water and soil, the scenic beauty and the regional
biodiversity (pers. comm.). All these threats are due to solid waste and over
grazing during summer season. They also say that the polo festival is the biggest

9
threat to wetlands ecosystem because of its very high rate of solid waste
generation within 3-4 days.

In spite of the enormous waste generated during the festival, the organisers of
the event do not have any planning for clean-up or waste removal after the event.
Some local communities do limited clean-up according to their resources but it is
inadequate, given the scale of the problem.

Therefore it is important to have an organized clean-up activity each year on a

big scale in which the NWFP and Northern Areas governments, various NGOs
and local communities should participate. This is the only way to keep Shandur
from deteriorating further.

Waste Management Strategy:

PWP and its partners adopted the following strategy to control and mitigate
waste at the Shandur polo festival site:

1. Awareness raising among people, especially shopkeepers about keeping

the environment clean: this was done by distributing hundreds of Urdu
language brochure about the importance of Shandur Lake and saving it
from disaster by not spreading solid waste in it or its vicinity. It also
established eco-check posts just below the Shandur pass in both Chitral
and Ghizer districts where brochures were distributed to incoming visitors
in vehicles.

2. Physical collection and disposal of solid waste from strategic points at

the Shandur site. For this purpose 30 drums lined with garbage bags were
installed in the bazaar and selected camp sites and the nearest
shopkeeper or camp site manager was made responsible for its security.
PWP volunteers and staff verbally requested all these people to use the
drums for waste disposal instead of throwing it indiscriminately.

Many people were also given canvas bags to collect their waste into and
either take it with them or deposit them into the waste drums.

For disposal of the collected bags, a landfill was constructed about 2 km

down from the Shandur pass in the Ghizer district. All the collected bags
were dumped into the landfill and it was covered over properly with dirt.

Role of Partners in Waste Management Strategy:

PWP took the lead role in implementing the waste management and awareness
raising strategy at the Shandur polo festival. However it had many partners
without whose help it could not have achieved the degree of success that it did in
its implementation.

10
The biggest partner was the Northern Areas Environmental Protection Agency
(NAEPA) followed by the Northern Areas Forest Department, NWFP Wildlife
Department, Shandur LSO Teru, Shandur Welfare Society and CAMAT.

The role of various partners were as follows:

PWP
Financing the construction of the landfill
Providing bags for trash collection to
shopkeepers and general public
Financing the food and accommodation of
all volunteers and partners
Providing transport to the volunteers
Printing brochures
Providing jackets and T-shirts to all
participants PWP and its partners ©Doug Kuzmiak

NAEPA
Providing 30 drums for garbage disposal installed at suitable sites at Shandur
Providing bags to line the drums
Providing technical input into landfill site selection
Sharing the cost of running environmental announcements on Radio Pakistan,
Gilgit

WWF Pakistan
Contributed banners and human resources

SLSO Teru, CAMAT and Shandur Welfare Society

Contributed 30 dedicated volunteers for solid waste collection and disposal and
for awareness rising.

NAs Forest Department and NWFP Wildlife Department

Contributed guards for manning two eco-check posts on Ghizer and Chitral sides

Municipal Committee Gahkuch, Ghizer district

Contributed a tractor for hauling bags from the site to the landfill.
.

11
 PWP

NA-EPA

NAs Forest Department

NWFP Wildlife Depatment NWFP

WWF-Pakistan

SLSOT/SWS/CAMAT/MCG

PWP and its Partner Organizations at Shandur

Proceedings of the Activities:

July, 4-2008.
Travel to Shandur; intimating partners on the way about our arrival; setting up of
camp site at Shandur.

July, 5&6-2008 © Doug Kuzmiak

Briefing for volunteers about PWP strategy
and plan of action. Public announcements
during the pre-final polo matches about
environmental problems and importance of
saving Shandur lake. Display of banners at
various spots around Shandur. Meetings held
with different organizations and security
forces. Distributions of solid waste collection
bags among the shop keepers, tourists and
local people. Installation of drums in suitable Morning briefing for volunteers
locations for waste collection.

July,7-2008. © Doug Kuzmiak

Beginning of landfill construction;
volunteers start w ork on collecting solid
waste from sites and circulate among
visitors to raise their awareness about
solid waste problems.

PWP delivers a verbal presentation about

wetlands and impact of solid waste on
wetlands in front of 50-60 Northern Areas
Scouts members at their camp.

Brochures distributed in the bazaar area and PWP awareness raising at Northern
at the two eco-check posts. Areas Scouts camp

12
 © Doug Kuzmiak
July,8-2008.
Distribution of T-shirts, brochures, and more
collection of waste; meetings with different
officials to inform them about PWP
participation. Disposal of the first load of bags
into the landfill.

July,9-10-2008.
Awareness Walk by PWP and partners on
the polo ground before the start of the final
polo match.
Volunteers picking garbage

Final collection of garbage bags from the drums and from shopkeepers and
camp sites, cleanup of solid waste from the bazaar area and final disposal of
bags into the landfill. Closing of the landfill.

© Doug Kuzmiak

PWP Awareness March before final polo match

13
 Chapter – 4
Results and Discussion

Visitor numbers:
An estimated 15,000 visitors came to Shandur polo festival over a period of three
days (Chitral administration, NAs Tour Operators Association).

PWP Volunteers:
There were about 30 volunteers from local communities both from Ghizer and
Chitral districts. They were all given bright yellow jackets to wear for
identification plus “Save Shandur” T-shirts. They were also given gloves to
handle waste in a safe manner.

Types of Solid Waste Generated during the Polo Festival:

Polythene bags, Glass, Plastic bottles, Milk pack boxes, Fruit juice packs, Cold
drink bottle caps, Glass bottles, Medicines, Syringes, Paper, Blades, Wood
pieces, Poultry waste, Old shoes, Clothes, Vegetables, Fruit.

Equipments and Machinery Available for Waste Management:

Details of equipments/machinery available during waste management are:

Equipment/Machinery. Total No. In-order Out of Order

Tractor Trolleys 1 1 00
Garbage drums (installed) 30 30 30
Bags 1,000 550 (re- 450 (taken by
(distributed) collected for people for other
dumping) purposes)
Vehicles 4 4 00

Collection methods:
The waste was picked up from the ground daily with the help of hands protected
by gloves, and put into bags. The maximum collection capacity was 1 tonne/day.

Waste transportation:
There was one open body tractor and four PWP vehicles which were used to
collect and to dispose off the waste from different sites into the landfill.

Landfill:
PWP, along with technical input from NA-EPA, selected the site and constructed
a landfill for disposing off the waste, about 2 km from Shandur top in Langer
valley. Over a period of three days, a total of 550 bags were disposed off into this
landfill.

14
TABLE 1. Solid Waste Collection At Shandur

Parameters Total solid waste kg/day

Date 7 July, 2008.
Bio-degradable solid waste 209
Non bio-degradable solid 488
waste
Total solid waste. 697
Date 8 July, 2008.
Bio-degradable solid waste 418.8
Non bio-degradable solid 976.6
waste
Total solid waste. 1395.4
Date 9 July, 2008.
Bio-degradable solid waste 354
Non bio-degradable solid 796
waste
Total solid waste. 1150
Date 10 July, 2008.
Bio-degradable solid waste 282.6
Non bio-degradable solid 659.4
waste
Total solid waste. 942
Total solid waste 4187.5 Kg OR 4.187 tonnes

TABLE 2. Solid Waste Figures

Parameters. Amount
Total bio-degradable solid waste. 1256.3 kg.
Total non-biodegradable solid waste. 2931.3 kg.
Percentage of bio-degradable waste. 30 %
Percentage of non-biodegradable waste 70 %
Average /capita solid waste. 0.279 kg.
Average /capita bio-degradable solid 0.0837 kg.
waste.
Average /capita non bio-degradable 0.1953 kg.
solid waste
Total bags distributed 1,000
Total bags collected 550
Average weight / bag 7.5 kg.
Total solid waste collected. 4.187 tonnes.
Note: estimated visitor influx = 15,000

15
 SOLID WASTE COLLECTION

1400
1200
1000
7july,2008
SOLID WASTE IN 800
KG 8july,2008
600
400 9july,2008
200 10july,2008
0
7july,2008 9july,2008
COLLECTION DATES

Strength of the PWP Solid Waste Management Strategy:

Solid waste was the major target of PWP and NAEPA and their achievement in
its collection and disposal were quite impressive, given that over 4 tonnes of
waste was collected in just under four days.

The circulation of PWP volunteers in their bright yellow jackets among the visitors
and awareness raising activities such as person to person communication,
lectures at the Northern Areas Scouts camp, Awareness March at the final match
and interviews to media outlets by PWP staff created awareness among the
people about the importance of protecting the Langer-Shandur wetlands
complex.

Problems with the Management of Solid Waste during the Festival:

The following problems and issues were faced by PWP and its partners

♦ Indifference of shopkeepers & administration

Many shopkeepers and other peoples did not cooperate with the PWP
volunteers because they used the bags for their own purposes The Chitral
and Gilgit administrations allowed display of banners in the festival only after
much persuasion.
♦ Spatial Disparities and Inadequate Resources
The equipments and machinery were not available for proper solid waste
management and some of the volunteers were not experienced; however
their efforts were highly appreciable on the whole. Compared to the scale of
the solid waste problem their numbers were also insufficient. Hence collection
remained inadequate. Much waste remained uncollected in the bazaar area.
Additionally, it was difficult for the vehicles to enter some narrow lanes in the
bazaar to collect the bags.

16
 ♦ Risky Work Environment
The PWP workers faced risks dealing with waste in the absence of
precautionary measures. For example, workers did not have standard
equipment for solid waste collection such as sticks with hooks, eye-glasses,
proper shoes, masks etc.
♦ Waste Mixing
Medical waste was mixed with the municipal solid waste and its recovery was
done in a risky way. The mixing of some of the hazardous wastes such as
chemical waste and infectious solid waste from medical camps was another
serious issue, and this waste was very difficult for volunteers to sort because
of its hazardous nature.

Threats of Solid Waste Generated at Shandur:

Solid waste threats to livestock

Local people said that their livestock are harmed or even die from eating
ploythene bags and other waste generated during the festival.

Burning of solid waste

The burning of solid waste at Shandur affects the atmosphere because it gives
off COX, NOX, SOX, PM (particulate matter), methane and other noxious gases to
the atmosphere. This adds to the greenhouse effect and contributes to climate
change, in addition to phenomena like smog and acid rain.

Surface and ground water

Decomposition of the organic materials in municipal solid waste can give rise to
heavily contaminated waste, known as "leachate", which may pollute both
surface waters and ground water. Water pollution from leachate is a major
problem associated with uncontrolled dumping of solid wastes. In Shandur
wetlands are near to camping sites from where the solid waste enters the lakes
and creates pollution, affecting the biota found there.

Grasses and pastures

The solid waste is a threat to grasses and pastures because biodegradable solid
waste and liquid waste contribute toxic chemicals which harm the grasses and
the organisms living in the soil.

Recommendations for the future:

The solid waste management strategy at Shandur polo festival was planned and
executed by PWP, NAEPA with help from other partners. They selected sites for
dustbins, banners and for the landfill. The element of community participation in
solid waste management was very important.

17
For the future, following suggestions are made in order to improve solid waste
collection:

♦ The local governments of districts Ghizer and Chitral should be partners of

PWP in waste management because they are the main players and
organizers of the festival activities.
♦ Some level of indifference from the average people was frequently
encountered. Greater degree of awareness raising should be carried out
to bring them on-board next year.
♦ Prior arrangement with event organizers for banner displays and
Awareness Walks should be made for easier execution.
♦ Effort should be made to separate the waste into recyclable and non
recyclable material as much as possible. Arrangements with recycling
companies in down-country could be made to sell the material to them, or
it could be sold to more traditional waste re-cyclers.
♦ The volunteers’ numbers should be increased from 30 this year to at least
40-45 next year to conduct a more effective clean-up drive. Sponsors
should be found for the additional number of volunteers.
♦ Volunteers should be provided with sticks with hooks to pick up garbage
instead of picking with hands, along with protective masks to guard
against dust and noxious fumes and smells from various solid wastes.

*****************************************************

18
Annex - 1

Pakistan Wetlands Programme

Northern Alpine Wetlands Complex
Regional Operations Base, Gilgit

QUESTIONNAIRE

Information about Respondent

Name: Age:

Village name: Gender:

Qualification: Occupation:

Q1. What is main kind of solid waste?

a) Polyethylene bags b) vegetables waste c) glass bottles d) liquid
waste e) metal disposable materials f) petroleum product waste
Other:
Q2. How much solid waste, approximately have you generated during festival?
a) 1-2kg b) 2-4kg c) 4-6 d) 6-8
Other:
Q3. How much biodegradable solid waste you contribute/day during polo
festival?
a)1-5kg/day b)5-8kg/day c)8-10kg/day
Others:
Q4.How much non bio-degradable solid waste has you generated per day during
festival?
a)1-5kg/day b)5-8kg/day c)8-10kg/day

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Others:
Q5 How many people, approximately, in your opinion have visited during
festival?
a)1-2000 b)2000-3000 c)3000-4000 d)3000-5000
others___________________________________________________________
Q6 How long is the tourist’s maximum stay during festiavl?
a)1-5days b)5-10days c)10-15days d)15-30days
others___________________________________________________________

Dumping sites

Q7. Where are the dumping sites?

a) Near wetlands b) Near pastures c) Near nallahs d) Open dumping
sites
Other:
Q8 Because of dumping sites do you have any dieses?
a)typhoid b)cholera c)yellow fever d)stomach problems
Other:___________________________________________________________

Q9 Have you experienced effects on the habitat or bio-diversity of the wetland

complex because of waste materials?
a) Flora b) fauna c) avifauna d) aquatic biota
Other:___________________________________________________________
Q10 Do you have any experience of the fisheries being affected by solid waste or
have diseases increased in aquatic biota?
a)fisheries death b)no effect of the waste c)little appearance of dieseas in
fisheries.
Other:___________________________________________________________
Q11.Who is responsible for waste management?
a)AKRSP b)wildlife department c)forest department d) WWF
e) villages themselves
Other:

20
Q12.Have dustbins been installed by any organization?
A)AKRSP b)wildlife department c)forest department d) WWF
Other:

21
Annex – 2 Pictures of the activities at Shandur

©Doug Kuzmiak

Training during waste management PWP talking to public about keeping

Shandur Clean

©Doug Kuzmiak

Garbage collection Dustbin distribution

©Doug Kuzmiak
©Doug Kuzmiak

Waste collection into tractor

Bags dumped into landfill

Photographs by Doug Kuzmiak (Volunteer PWP) and Munnawar Hussain Mousvi (NAEPA)

22