Living hell of death dump

The shanty houses lie below the mountain of rubbish

By BBC News Online's Mangai Balasegaram

The Payatas dump, Manila's largest rubbish dump, is a means of survival for some of the city's poorest people, serving as both home and work for thousands.

Unable to afford anywhere else to live, thousands have set up shanty houses below the mountain of rubbish in a squatters' colony called Lupang Pangako (Promised Land).

It's terrible when the rain comes

Ding B. Manuel

Many live in barung-barong - flimsy houses built from the simple materials taken from the dump, such as plastic and cardboard. Those who have a little more money use better materials.

Local Mayor Mel Mathay has said that 60,000 people live in the colony.

However Vernard Garcia, director of the Urban Poor Institute, a nongovernmental organisation working with people living at the dump, estimated that 300,000 people live in the area.

Recycling

Some residents eke out a living from the dump, sifting through the smouldering pile of rotting waste for materials that can be re-used, re-sold or recycled.

The houses are often made of flimsy material

Anything - plastic containers, bottles, newspapers, scrap metal or even food - is collected.

Residents even turn to the dump for food, digging out leftover food and frying it in oil before eating it, Mr Garcia told BBC News Online.

It is estimated that about three-quarters of the 5,000 tonnes of rubbish dumped at the site every day is picked up by the scavengers.

Mr Garcia said the waste provides the only means of income for about a third of Lupang Pangako residents and provides part-time work for about 70% of residents, who may have other jobs such as construction workers or taxi drivers.

The garbage is the only means of livelihood for them

Vernard Garcia

"They may be involved in the separation of garbage, as middle men or collecting the garbage itself," he said.

The collectors may make only 100 pesos ($2.25) or less a day, although middle men can earn a lot more.

The World Bank has estimated that up to 2% of the population in developing countries may survive by scavenging.

Rain a hazard

Heavy rain can often pose a hazard at the dump.

Rain often poses a hazard

"It's terrible when the rain comes," said Ding B Manuel, also of the Urban Poor Institute.

"The area becomes very wet and muddy and there's a very strong odour."

Disease is another major problem, with typhoid fever, hepatitis, cholera, parasites and other infectious diseases not uncommon.

Skin diseases and asthma are common among children because of the pollutants from the dump, Mr Garcia said.

Symbol of poverty

Manila's dumps have long been a symbol of the city's poverty.

The Smokey Mountain dump, which was levelled off by former president Fidel Ramos in the mid-1990s, became a national embarrassment.

But local authorities say residents of Lupang Pangako have refused efforts to relocate them elsewhere.

"The garbage is the only means of livelihood for them," Mr Garcia said. "They have few other opportunities."