Safai Mitra: Ensuring Livelihoods of Waste Collectors in Patna
Presented by:Azad Oommen
Director, CommunicationsAmerican India Foundation
Feb 9, 2008ASEI SoCal Annual Conference
National Overview
• Approx 1.5 million – 2 million rag pickers in India– Numbers are hard to estimate
• Average earnings of between $1 and $2 a day
• Typically, they have no contractual employment and are part of the “informal sector,” i.e. no guaranteed wages, social security benefits etc.
Patna Overview
• Patna has an overall population of 1.7 million people
• In surveys conducted by Nidan in a sampling of Patna slums (2006):– Approximately 70 percent of respondents work in the informal
sector– Median income of Rs 1000- 2000 per family per month– 75 percent do not have any waste collection facility
Solid Waste Management in India
• Traditionally, in Indian towns disposal of Solid Waste is done through a centralized facility.
• As the town grows, the distance covered for transportation of waste increases rendering the cost of collection prohibitive.
• To reduce the transportation cost, a decentralized system is the preferred option. In such a system, the waste is collected from households, segregated (preferably at the source or at least at the time of collection) and transferred to a neighborhood treatment facility.
Nidan’s Swacchdhara Model
• Swacchdhara is a collective business enterprise formed by waste collectors
• Previously, they worked as individual rag pickers with no livelihood security
• Comprehensive solid waste management model– Door-to-door collection of waste from households and shops
– Contract with municipal corporation for street garbage collection
– Vermi-composting of organic waste
– Recycling
• Funded by a $89,000 AIF Grant in 2005
Profile of Safai Mitras
• Safai Mitras receive training in waste management
• Receive uniforms and identity cards
• Receive regular pay through their employment by Swacchdhara, which has a predictable revenue stream from its contracts
• Receive various other social security benefits such as micro-insurance, micro-credit
Door-to-door waste collection
Res
iden
ts
&
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Doo
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w
aste
co
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Safa
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itra
Dry waste/Recyclables
Wet waste/Organic
Ward level Vermi-composting
Wsa
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segr
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ted
at
Sour
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on
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leys
Scrap dealers
Land-fill Rejects
Waste collection from households
Street cleaning
Decentralized waste collection
Recycling
Safai mitras employed
2006 2007
Door-to-door collectors
45 130
Street Cleaners 280 245
Vermi-compost 6 8
Recycling 2 4
Total 333 387
Units covered
2006 2007
Units (House/Shop) 22,380 48,000
Hotels 2 4
Institutions 18 22
Wards (for street cleaning) 3 3
Livelihood impact
• ~400 waste pickers have been directly employed as safai mitras in providing waste management services
• Safai mitras were made salaried employees and received various financial services.
• Provided social security coverage (pension, insurance etc.)
• Monthly income rose from Rs 1500 to Rs 2800 per month
• ~600 other waste pickers have been organized into self-help groups
Other impacts
• Work hours regularized
• Improved working conditions as they deal with waste at source
• Decrease in the incidences of diseases like diarrhoea, fever, skin infections, jaundice etc.
• Rise in social status– Less harassment as they are easily identifiable by their uniforms
Future of the model
• Expanding from 3 wards in Patna to 11 wards in Patna
• Further expansion to Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Samastipur, Vaishali, Katihar
• Proposed coverage of 60,000 additional households for door-to-door waste collection
• Additional 1,000 Safai Mitras to be employed
Takeaways
• Efficient waste management models are possible
• Waste management models can generate revenue
• Waste management models can provide sustainable livelihoods for workers