264 JOHAN POST AND ISA BAUD
by private contractors occurs in a controlled fashion. The environmental health threats
related to prevailing dumping practices are probably higher in Nairobi than in
Hyderabad.
Separation of waste streams, especially of hazardous (industrial, chemical, hospital
etc.) and ordinary wastes, still leaves a lot to be desired. As far as household waste is
concerned, the regulatory and institutional framework for monitoring the SWC
process is more developed in Hyderabad and its enforcement capacity more effective
(disregarding possible corruptive practices).
A major worry relates to the sheer lack of dumping sites, a phenomenon that is very
common among rapidly growing cities in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The new
landfill sites that are under consideration in Nairobi and Hyderabad are located at a
considerable distance from the city and will increase transportation costs. Under
current conditions this is likely to lead to more indiscriminate dumping, especially in
Nairobi. The method of open dumping adopted in both cities is also cause for consid-
erable anxiety. Although ecological considerations may have found their way to
official documents, they still constitute a marginal item in SWC practices at local
level. This is due partly to a lack of awareness at the executive level, and partly to
financial constraints. In fact, municipalities have often directed dumping to low-lying
areas that are not designated dumps at all. In Hyderabad, the installation of the pelleti-
sation plant is an important step in the right direction. At the same time the MCH indi-
cates that the construction of a proper sanitary landfill is far beyond what the city can
afford.
Solid waste collection: system concerns
In the study we also paid some attention to the coordination within a particular
sub-sector as well as the interaction with the other sub-sectors of the SWM system.
A major strength of the system of SWC applied in Hyderabad is that all residents
living in planned areas of the city receive a basic level of SWC services – collection
through vantage points at walking distance from the houses – regardless of wealth. On
the other hand, private providers are unable to tailor their services to the specific
demands of their clientele because they are tied to the contract system. Those areas
desiring a higher level of services have to organize this themselves. In the recent past
this has been done through the VGDS, which offers a house-to-house collection
service in return for payment of a small user fee. The VGDS operates entirely inde-
pendently of the basic collection system. Therefore, opportunities for better coordina-
tion and cost saving, which could be realized if all activities in a particular area came
under one firm’s responsibility, are lost.