Author(s)

I. M. Faisal & S. Parvee

Abstract

This study examines environmental health and safety problems associated with urban solid waste management and provides a set of interventions options using the ecosystem approach. In particular, it investigates the health problems faced by child waste-pickers of Dhaka City, who collect recyclable and reusable items from garbage bins and landfill sites. The study tracks down these problems with the help of an impact-pathway based analysis. It then develops a set of intervention options through extensive multi-stakeholder consultations and interviews. The recommendations formed thereby have been presented in an impact-intervention matrix. The intervention matrix addresses each part of the impact-pathway from source to health impacts, and explores a range of policy tools to devise ‘integrative’ and ‘sustainable’ interventions. Based on urgency, ease of implementation and resource requirements, the paper also indicates tentative time-frames these interventions. Keywords: solid waste, health impact, intervention matrix, ecosystem approach. 1 Introduction Dhaka City, the capital of Bangladesh with a population of about 10 million, is growing at a rate of 3.72% per year. Nearly 70% of this population lives in the jurisdiction of the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) that covers an area of 360 sq. km. On average, 4,000-4,500 tons of solid waste is generated everyday in the City, with a per capita contribution of about 0.5 kg per day (Islam [1]). The waste stream fraction of Dhaka city is 46.8% domestic, 21.8% street sweeping, 19.2% commercial, 12.9% industrial and 0.5% clinical (MMI [2]).

Keywords

solid waste, health impact, intervention matrix, ecosystem approach.