CLEAN BHUTAN - RSPN

The “Clean Bhutan” project is a concerted effort of RSPN and various other relevant stakeholders using recommendations from the Solid Waste Management Policy Framework (RSPN, 2006) to bring about collaboration in addressing the urgent needs and identify measures to combat the increasing solid waste issues at individual, household, institution and community levels.

In Bhutan, the two urban centers of Thimphu and Phuntsholing exhibit a complexity of environmental and social issues including the problem of garbage. Improper management of garbage and other solid, liquid and gaseous waste are some of the evident environmental problems arising due to insufficient planning, technical and financial resources, the required facilities and services. This problem is further compounded by a population growth rate estimated between 7-10% per annum (ADB) mostly due to rural-urban migration. Currently, there are 54 urban settlements of varied sizes accommodating about 137,000 people. About 21% of the total population lives in urban areas. At the rate of growth of urban centers and population added to rural urban migration, it is envisaged that by 2020, half the issue of waste management will live in urban areas (NBC 2002). At this rate, the issue of waste management and associated environmental and social problems will be more serious in the absence of a proper solid waste management system.

Currently, Thimphu and Phuntsholing municipal authorizes collect more than three times the amount that was collected in 1998 i.e. 36.70 and 24.76 tonnes of solid wastes respectively (RSPN, 2006). Over the years numerous cleaning campaigns and advocacies programs undertaken by various agencies have failed to change a human behavior in both urban residents as well as rural communities.

With more of the rural areas becoming accessible to market and external products, garbage is a cause for concern in the rural areas as well. In essence, consumerism is rapidly creeping into both our urban and rural areas. This is further aggravated by the inadequacies and inefficient of institutional and legal arrangements, improper planning, insufficient resources and lack of civic responsibilities. As a result, indiscriminate littering and open dumping of solid waste are creating unsightly surroundings, choked drains and eventually polluted waterways that not only contaminate the natural environment, but also pose serious threat to public health. While these negative effects of rapid urbanization and modern economic development on the environment is well recognized by the Royal Government (Vision 2020, p30 & p60), efforts to address the issue seem far from what is desirable. With support from UNDP, RSPN initiated a project on Public Private Partnership in Urban Environment Management which resulted in the Policy Framework for Solid Waste Management.