URBAN ORGANIC SOLID WASTE: PRACTICES INHYDERABAD 221
ment with the municipal corporation of Hyderabad through the horticultural depart-
ment of the state government, in case the manure is not sold on the open market. At
the time of the interview, approximately 5 tons of manure were ready for sale in the
unit. This would mean a potential maximum sales level of Rs 20,000 for six months
work. Sukuki Exnora employed four waste pickers in the unit (one woman worker),
who were paid Rs 2,000 per month. Workers’ salaries were paid by Sukuki Exnora
through other sources, as the composting unit has not yet made any sales. These
figures indicate that costs were much higher than potential sales levels in the period
covered by the study. Thus financial viability was not assured in this activity, even
when investment costs were not taken into account.
Employment provided through the NGO was regular, relatively safe and well paid (at Rs
2,000 p/month), with accommodation and protective equipment also being provided.
Two workers have undergone training in the composting process for one week when they
worked with another NGO with experience. However, it was suggested that the workload
was high for the number of workers employed at that time (Dhanalakshmi, 2002).
The organisation activities do not contribute to clean and healthy neighbourhoods.
This is one of their most pressing problems, as earlier on, residents made unfavourable
comments on the conditions in Indira park, when unmixed waste attracted rodents and
the unit smelled. To make the unit more financially viable, more space would be
needed to build more vermin-composting beds to absorb the 10 tons of waste coming
in daily. This would compound the problem already experienced in the neighbour-
hood, and suggests clear limitations to such decentralised production of compost.
NGO Decentralised Composting in a Market: the Case of SPEQL
SPEQL set up a vermicomposting unit on a half acre at Kothapet fruit market with a
grant of Rs 350,000 from the Government of India through the Department of Agri-
culture, Government of Andhra Pradesh. The organic waste from the fruit market was
used as basic raw material in this unit. Ten sheds were constructed at the cost of Rs
100,000, a lower unit cost than those by Sukuki Exnora. The other infrastructure facil-
ities in this unit were a bore well, a drip system, a storage place, a shredder, and a
machine which separates compost from other solid wastes. Therefore, this NGO had
a solid financial position at the start.
This unit regenerates the earthworms used in the unit itself. These worms were sold to
other people at the rate of Rs 50 per kg.^12 The quantity of compost generated from
each bed is about 5 tons every two months (implying a maximum of 7.5 tons per month
from three beds). The manure is bought at Rs 2 per kg by households, farmers, ferti-
lizer shops, horticulturists and NGOs, with farmers forming a large proportion of the
customers There was no buy back arrangement with the MCH. The amount of organic
waste processed through this method is not known, but it has the potential to