The Stung Mean Chey disposal site (SMCDS) is the only disposal site in the Municipality of Phnom Penh (MPP), which receives 700 tons of wastes a day. Unregulated landfill operation has continued for 38 years, since 1965. The municipality possesses a land plot of only 6.8 ha, which is too small for a city with a population of 1.2 million, and waste spreads out of the municipal area to the surrounding private land.
Since waste is piled up to a height of more than 5 m on average, it is getting more and more difficult for the collection vehicles to access to the working face. Accessibility to the site is particularly poor in the rainy season, when waste disposal must occasionally cease. Improving accessibility is an urgent issue.
The most serious matter is that the remaining service life of the landfill, SMCDS, is very little (less than two years) within the municipal land and construction of a new disposal site will take at least four to five years since it needs a procedure for the construction, i.e. a feasibility study, a financial provision, approval of an environmental impact assessment (EIA), a detailed design and tender. Therefore, the expansion of the current landfill area is indispensable.
The site is a typical open dump, posing seriously negative impacts on the surrounding environment, such as air pollution by smoke caused by fire, waste scattering, odor, surface & underground water contamination, etc. In addition, residential area is approaching less than 100 m away from the site due to rapid urbanization.
More than 500 waste pickers (WPs) regularly are working without any rules and control. The waste pickers provide an important role in solid waste management by recovering recyclable materials and reducing waste volume, however their activities interfere with landfill operations and put their lives at risk. It is urgently required to separate the working area of waste pickers and the working area of heavy machinery and waste collection vehicles so as to realize efficient landfill operation and safe material recovery. Furthermore, it is also necessary to provide basic healthcare opportunity to WPs since they are under the threat of occupational diseases due to awful working conditions.
Taking the above-mentioned situation into consideration, Phnom Penh Waste Management (called PPWM - the semi-autonomous municipal body responsible for SWM in the Phnom Penh) and the JICA study team for gthe Study on Solid Waste Management in the MPPh decided to urgently improve the SMCDS and JICA allocated part of the budget (310,000 US$ in total) for the implementation of the project.
The urgent improvement mainly consists of construction of facilities, improvement of operation and improvement of working conditions of WPs. The improvement plan of the SMCDS is summarized as shown in the table below.
Table 1‑1: Improvement Plan of the SMCDS
|
Items |
Main Target |
Responsible Bodies |
|
1. Construction of Facilities |
|
|
|
1.1 Secure of the land for expansion |
Expansion of the landfill |
PPWM |
|
1.2 On-site road |
Secure the accessibility |
JICA |
|
1.3 Working face |
Separation of landfill operation (LO) and WPs |
JICA |
|
1.4 Model block for landfill completion |
Demonstration of sanitary landfill |
JICA |
|
1.5 Enclosing bank |
Demonstration of sanitary landfill Expansion of the landfill |
JICA |
|
1.6 Leachate collection and treatment |
Demonstration of sanitary landfill |
JICA |
|
1.7 Others |
Demonstration of sanitary landfill |
JICA |
|
2. Improvement of Operation |
|
|
|
2.1 Registration of WPs |
Separation of LO and WPs |
PPWM and JICA |
|
2.2 Issue of permission card |
Separation of LO and WPs |
PPWM and JICA |
|
2.3 Control of WPsf |
Separation of LO and WPs |
PPWM |
|
2.4 Preparation of operation plan |
Demonstration of sanitary landfill |
JICA |
|
2.5 Operation of improved landfill |
Demonstration of sanitary landfill |
PPWM |
|
3. Improvement of Working Conditions of WPs |
|
|
|
3.1 Provision of waste picking areas |
Separation of LO and WPs |
PPWM and JICA |
|
3.2 Provision of vaccinations |
Provision of basic healthcare to WPs |
MOH, DOH |
The construction of facilities is being conducted mainly by a contractor entrusted by the JICA study team according the construction plan as shown in the Figure 1‑1.
As for the improvement of operation, the registration is being conducted and will be finished on December 1. By November 26th more than 1,793 waste pickers are registered in the database. After the registration PPWM/MPP will issue permission cards to WPs and control them according to the rules. At the same time the JICA study team will prepare a proper operation plan. Then PPWM will commence improved landfill operation in accordance with the operation plan, which will clearly designate the working area of waste pickers and the working area of heavy machinery and waste collection vehicles.
Through the conduct of the operation plan the working conditions of WPs will be improved. In addition, JICA will provide vaccination service (Tetanus and Hepatitis B) to them in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Department of Health (DOE) of MPP.
The proposed schedule of the improvement project is as shown in the table below.
Table 1‑2: Improvement Schedule of the SMCDS
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