COLLECTION,TRANSPORTATION AND DISPOSAL OF URBAN SOLID WASTE 49
allowed a maximum of three units (since 1999 only two). As the MCH received more
applications than the number of units, a final selection was made by drawing lots.
House-to-house collection
The MCH is also seeking to establish partnerships with community based organisa-
tions and NGOs in order to improve people’s participation in SWM. In 1993 it
introduced the VGDS that is currently applied in over a thousand residential areas
covering approximately 175,000 households. The MCH renders support by making a
tricycle – a three-wheel bicycle with a waste reservoir – available to the residents free
of costs. The initiative is also extended to slum areas with funding from the British
government. Waste pickers who are hired and paid by local welfare organisations
collect garbage on a house-to-house basis. The residents contribute to the system by
way of a monthly fee ranging from Rs 5-20 depending on the volume of waste to be
lifted from each household (joint families paying larger amounts). The scheme is
working very effectively because people demand value for money and because the
welfare organisations provide strict supervision. Waste bins are no longer required in
the colonies participating in the scheme as the waste pickers collect the garbage at the
doorstep and bring it to secondary collection points outside the areas.
3.6. ASSESSING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE BASIC SWC SYSTEM
The two systems of SWC, although partially overlapping, will each be evaluated in
terms of their contributions to various aspects of urban sustainable development. The
set of indicators presented in chapter 1 has been used to structure the analysis, albeit
in a flexible way to suit the particular circumstances in Hyderabad as well as the data
at our disposal. We will start by assessing the qualities of the basic service with special
emphasis on the differences between service provision by the MCH and private
contractors
Contributions to socio-economic aspects of sustainable development
Economic efficiency and viability
The SWC system in Hyderabad scores low in terms of allocative efficiency (the
extend to which charges cover the cost of the service). Although the expenditure for
SWC weighs heavily on the municipal budget there has not been any attempt to intro-
duce user charges. The introduction of the private sector has not been accompanied by
any form of cost recovery, which may be called exceptional by international standards.
The political costs to levy a new tax on the electorate are considered too high even to
discuss the issue openly. Similarly, the interviews with contractors displayed a strong
dislike on their part to engage in a franchise system because they feel that residents
will not pay their dues.