Talk given by Mansoor Ali, Practical Action (ITDG), UK, at the STEPS Water Seminar, 12 March 2010.

1. Are there any secret millionaires in waste? The Framings of Real Waste Systems in Karachi and Dhaka Mansoor Ali Practical Action (ITDG), UK mansali@practicalaction.org.uk

2. Karachi and Dhaka – background Population; 12 to 14 million Area – 650 sq-km (Dhaka) 1600 sq-km (Karachi) Waste = 6000 tonnes/ day Both within 20 most populous cities in the world

4. Modernisation of waste

6. Service Gaps

7. Cost recovery

8. Investment needs

10. Income and employment

11. Waste as a livelihood

12. Poor recycling waste

13. Pickers are important

15. Do we have capacity to deal with conflicts and tension?

16. Do they only exist in research and literature?

19. Creates 6000 employment ( for hard to reach poor)

20. Turnover 2.25 million US $

23. Official beats and private work

24. Serving 5 million

25. Buy and sell areas

26. Generate an equivalent of waste operational budget

27. Generate US $ 10 million/ year

28. No debate on demand, cost recovery etc.

30. Third; Informal System of Recycling; Itinerant Buyers

31. Using whatever valuable is left?

33. Additional income – 2 million

34. Employment 35000

35. Turnover US $ 55 million

36. Jobs for the poorest

39. Donors and NGOs

40. Private Investors (China, India, Turkey and UAE) Different Narratives – Not much on Real System Think about Farmers and Govt Extension; Facebook; ‘Familiar users’ vs Child Protection

42. Large scale investments needed

43. Technologies – coverage/ demonstration

44. Climate mitigation

45. Consultants and contractors

46. Local capacity is poor

47. Employment through training and skills development

49. Garbage Train in Karachi

50. Landfill Site in Karachi

51. Compost Plants in Bangladesh

54. Is there an understanding between local corruption and international loans/ investments?

55. Who cares about the poor?

56. Who will look at the big picture?

58. 2) Independent and accessible information about projects, policies, finances etc. locally available? e.g. Urban Resource Centre, Karachi So, what need to change in Practice?Where STEPS concept is relevant

59. So, what need to change in Practice?Where STEPS concept is relevant 3) Democracy in Practice. All citizens able to make decisions based on research, data and information. Form, needs and timings are key.

60. So, what need to change in Practice?Where STEPS concept is relevant 4) Honest professional practice. Large number of practitioners educated to say no to socially and environmentally damaging projects

61. So, what need to change in Practice?Where STEPS concept is relevant 5) Karachi-Dhaka-Brighton Citizens Alliance Citizens, pro-poor professionals and media in the North and South talking to each other. Massive public education is needed in the North.