LAND FILLED: The overflowing waste of Memelakha. A snapshot of the bigger picture in Thimphu and Phuentsholing

30 July, 2008 - With growing urbanization, handling garbage and other waste is becoming a mounting problem for most Bhutanese. So how are municipalities and hospitals coping with it?

Not too well, according to the royal audit authority (RAA), which did its first ever audit on municipal solid waste and medical waste in Thimphu and Phuentsholing in 2008. “This audit has been done too look into the organisations and see if delivery of services is benefitting society, and if these services can be made better,” said the auditor general, Ugen Chewang.

In Phuentsholing, the main problem is inter-border dumping in areas like near the Toorsa river and the Bhutan-India open drain with most dumping from the Indian side. Though a storm drain, it was found that Jaigaon residents connect their waste pipes into the drain. A sewer line laid under the Dhoti river had ruptured, causing effluents to flow openly into the Toorsa river causing pollution and health risks.

Another problem was the dumping of waste from buildings into their own backyard. The city thrompon said, “For the open drain we are constructing a barrier wall, with plans to cover the drain and, for waste dumping from buildings, we’re considering punitive measures.”

In Thimphu, a major problem is the non-functioning of the Nu 8.1 million compost plant for managing solid waste. The plant is close to an open drinking water channel in Babesa, making it susceptible to contamination. The Memelakha landfill has exceeded its life eight years ago and is now more of an open dumping site than a sanitary landfill. Constant fires are also observed with a variety of hazardous wastes overflowing at the site.

However, there are also issues affecting both cities like the growing amount of construction waste on roads, drains, rivers and building passages. Construction activity was found going on in odd hours causing noise pollution. Urban roads in both cities being managed by DOR were found to be in poor conditions.

Waste collection was found to be unscientific with inadequate community waste bins leading to overflowing. It was also observed that automobile workshops were near rivers and untreated waste was flowing into rivers. Both municipalities did not have any adequate data on solid waste hampering audit efforts. The current rules were also seen as being mainly punitive. The waste workers in both cities were also found not to be protecting themselves. RAA has made suggestions to improve the situation and have also recognized efforts of agencies.

For medical waste disposal, the JDWNRH hospital in Thimphu and Phuentsholing General Hospital were taken as samples.

In Thimphu, waste was not properly segregated as food, infectious waste, office waste and others as per their own system. Trolleys for carrying medical waste were unhygienic, open, congested and uncovered. There was improper storage of medical waste with some being found under stairs too. Waste was also openly burnt inside the hospital premises despite a directive against it.

In Phuentsholing, audit teams found that infectious medical waste supposed to be dumped in a deep pit behind the hospital was discovered in the landfill site at Pasakha.

Common to both hospitals were incomplete records on waste management. Liquid waste from the radiology unit was found dumped in drains. Many staff were not using adequate protective measures and unaware of the risks. There was also no monitoring by NEC or the health ministry.

The health ministry’s chief planning officer Sonam Dorjee said, “Our staff use protective gear in disposing of waste from the lab and maternity wards, our autoclave is more environment friendly in disposing waste and we burn some non toxic waste since our dustbins keep overflowing, which city corporation needs to look into.”