Existing Solid Waste Management

Practices in Rahim Yar Khan

The Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) is tasked with managing solid waste inside the
Rahim Yar Khan in addition to providing water and sanitation services. The TMA is in charge of
the primary and secondary collection as well as the final disposal of solid waste, just like in other
cities in the Punjab. Sanitary employees perform the primary collection, which includes
sweeping streets and highways, collecting garbage from tiny piles using brooms, hand carts,
and other tools, as well as collecting MSW from door to door.Filth depots are used to temporarily
store the collected garbage. From there, tractor trollies and loaders are used to perform the
secondary collection. Ultimately, the waste is dumped in the Mau Mubarak dumpsite, which is
2-3 kilometers from the city. The city now produces roughly 170 tonnes of MSW per day, or 0.40
kilogrammes per person per day, for a total volume of 61762 tonnes annually. By 2023, it is
anticipated that daily waste creation will increase to around 287.49 tonnes per day, principally as
a result of significantly faster population growth and increasing economic activity.
TMA handles 90% of waste collection and disposal; the remaining 10% is handled by private
businesses.

The table below provides information on the MSW components (solid waste generation,
collection, disposal sites, etc.).

Sr. No Item Value

1 Waste Generated 170 tons/day

2 Waste Collected 130 tons/day

3 Generation Rate 0.4 kg/day

4 Waste Generated per HH 2.8 kg

5 Waste Disposed off 100 tons/day

6 Temporary Disposal Sites 2

Current solid waste management practices in Rahim Yar Khan.

Given that the MSW collection efficiency ranges between 65 and 75 percent, there is a
significant discrepancy between trash generation and collection. While the remainder is left
unattended along city streetsides and in sewers.
Major Problems
● The SWM department has an underdeveloped workforce, subpar management
practices, and no clear strategic direction.
● Weak financial management, limited knowledge, and insufficient planning skills.
● Information is still managed using a manual, paper-based system with a high level of
inconsistencies, long-outdated records, and challenging access and retrieval. The
administration is typically absorbed by its own internal procedures and processes, and
largely deaf to the needs of citizens and communities. Ad hoc, arbitrary decision-making
that lacks openness and accountability results from this.
● The SWM department's tools and gear are also frequently used to clear roadside
encroachment and debris.
● Similarly, management claims that their workload has increased due to the neglect and
inefficiency of line departments.
● Whenever a new road, street, sewerage line or water supply is built, existing institutional
arrangements for SWM suffer from fragmentation, a lack of clear division of
responsibilities, and insufficient planning, management and enforcement capacity. The
legal and regulatory framework for SWM has flaws that limit its effectiveness. The key
flaws are fragmentation and a lack of clear assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Town's Population Projection

Year 1998 2013 2018 2023 2028 2033

Population 233,537 423,020 515,659 628,585 766,242 934,045

Generation of Solid Waste
Rahim Yar Khan is predicted to generate 61762 tonnes of municipal solid trash per year,
or roughly 169.21 tonnes per day, based on current population estimates and national
per capita solid waste guidelines. Such estimates and calculations are based on the
existing population X the 0.4 kg/capita/day of solid waste produced in the absence of an
adequate solid waste management system and data availability. Waste generation for
Rahim Yar Khan is estimated to be 0.4 kg/capita/day based on Pakistan's solid waste
generation range of 0.283 to 0.612 kg/day.
The amount of garbage produced per capita at the moment is 0.4 kilogramme, and this
amount is expected to rise annually by 1.5%.
The projections and estimates for the future are based on a compound methodology.
Rahim Yar Khan's daily generation is expected to increase due to its expanding
population and rising economic activity, reaching approximately 287.49 tonnes per day
(104934 tonnes per year) by 2023 using 0.457 kg/capita/day and then approximately
495.77 tonnes per day (180956 tonnes per year) by 2033 using 0.531 kg/capita/day, as
shown in the graph. Rahim Yar Khan is dealing with a considerable volume of municipal
trash. Future consequences could be disastrous unless a plan is developed and put into
place as soon as possible to deal with this waste.

Year 2013 2018 2023 2028 2033

Waste 169.21 218.92 287.49 377.53 495.77

Generation/day
(tons/day)
Primary collection:
Sanitary workers who sweep streets and roads and collect solid waste from small heaps using
brooms and hand carts then store it at permanent and temporary collection points carry out the
primary collection. In Rahim Yar Khan, seventy percent of the areas are completely served,
twenty percent are just partially served, and the other ten percent are not even served at all.
Daily manual road sweeping is done on the majority of city streets. While the required number of
sanitary personnel is 518, TMA now has 508 (assuming vacant seats are filled), which is more
than enough. According to trash generation, the 43 hand carts available are insufficient for the
current sanitary workers. Sanitary employees lacked protective gear. The Primary collection had
no involvement from the Private sector.

Secondary Collection
Six open steel containers and eight trolleys are also utilized for secondary collection, which is
carried out by eight tractors. Rahim Yar Khan secondary collection equipment is insufficient.
Containers, container carriers, arm-rolled trucks, dump trucks, garbage compactors, and repairs
to existing machinery should all be necessary for TMA. It has opened heaps dispersed
throughout the city, and their locations are constantly shifting. The majority of these collection
stations have weekly collections. 48% collection efficiency is considered low. Wastes from the
demolition of building structures, hospitals, slaughterhouses, vegetable markets, dead animals,
etc. must be collected by TMA and mixed with municipal rubbish. With TMA, precise information
on scavenging and other hazardous wastes is not available.

Final Disposal
In Rahim Yar Khan, the majority of solid waste disposal is done at four locations throughout the
city. The town's ecosystem is being destroyed by this open dumping, which also emits offensive
odors and serves as a breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes. While there are complaints
from the public about this dumping, TMA currently has no alternative option for final disposal. It
is necessary to investigate possibilities for final disposal, such as regional incinerators, regional
landfills, or composting for organic waste.

Current Recycling Methods for Solid Waste

In Pakistan, there has been a migration from rural to urban areas during the past few decades.
The municipalities lack the necessary staff, technical know-how, and financial resources to meet
the demands of an expanding population, Recycling material is efficiently collected and sorted
across the city by the informal sector. When collecting mixed MSW from residential, commercial,
and educational facilities, municipal sanitation employees and private garbage collectors
separate the recyclables. The city's main issue is the non-recyclable rubbish, which is
exclusively picked up by the local government. These include the prohibited shopping bags
(with a thickness less than 50 mm), plastic sachets, wrappers, polystyrene food boxes, and
other items that are still offered in the market and thus go unchecked. This unattended portion is
being disposed of in a nearby filth depot, a temporary disposal site, together with the organic
fraction.

Scavengers and street rubbish pickers further sort the recyclable products from the filth depots
or disposal locations. The high-value recyclables, such as plastic, metals, rubber, paper, and
packaging materials, are sold to street vendors, itinerant buyers, and dealer shops after sorting.
These unofficial sellers then offer the recyclables for sale at somewhat higher prices to various
junk yards or junk dealers operating in the city. It is important to note that non-recyclable plastics
include styrofoam, single-use plastics, ketchup sachets, shampoo sachets, snack packets, and
so on. Recyclable plastics include PET, soft plastic, and hard plastic.

While the city lacks institutional solid waste recycling facilities like an organic composing, glass,
or paper recycling facility, there are a few small-scale, illegal recycling and manufacturing units
(about 7 to 10 numbers). Low grade plastic resin, pellets, and PET bottle shreds are the
principal byproducts of the recycling plants that are currently in the city. Key stakeholders in the
management of plastic within the Region include scavengers, community members/residents,
street itinerant purchasers, hawkers, informal garbage collection and handling companies, and
junk dealers.
Conclusion:
The solid waste management practices in Rahim Yar Khan face major problems such as an
underdeveloped workforce, subpar management practices, weak financial management, limited
knowledge and planning skills, inefficient information management, lack of coordination, and
insufficient planning, management, and enforcement capacity. Open dumping poses
environmental and health hazards. To overcome these challenges, it is crucial for Rahim Yar
Khan to develop a comprehensive solid waste management plan that addresses the existing
problems, ensures efficient waste collection, explores alternative disposal options, promotes
recycling, and enhances management practices and capacity.

References:
1. Punjab Cities Improvement Investment Program (Rahim Yar Khan City Profile) - The
Urban Unit P&D Department, Punjab
2. Situation Analysis Report for Integrated Solid Waste Management in Rahim Yar Khan -
Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company (PMDFC) (2013)
3. The Urban Unit. Punjab Cities Improvement Investment Program: Rahim Yar Khan City
Profile
4. Baseline Assessment of Current Scenario of Plastic Waste Management for Rahim Yar
Khan City,June 2021