"Slum dwellers can improve the quality of their life if they can make use of the waste, which can be turned into a source of income," said Dr Nazrul Islam, chairman of Centre for Urban Studies at Dhaka University who presented the keynote at the seminar.

Bangladesh Mahila Samity and Social Science Research Council of the planning ministry last week arranged the daylong seminar titled 'Waste management in the city: The role of slum dweller-mothers' at city's Neelima Ibrahim auditorium.

The main objective of the seminar was to chalk out a strategy for inclusion of slum-dweller mothers in waste management plan for the capital.

Rokia Afzal Rahman, former advisor to the caretaker government and president of Women Entrepreneurs' Association, Bangladesh was present at the seminar as the chief guest.

Dr Islam in his paper said it is very difficult to calculate how much waste are generated in the capital a day as accurate information on the size of the city and its population is not available.

Citing example, the eminent urban researcher said according to Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) the size of the city is around 145 square kilometer while Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) calculates it as 181 sq km.

In 2001, as DCC says, around 60 lakh people lived in the city but city Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka says the number has crossed one crore. Recently the corporation has reduced the estimated figure to some 57 lakh.

According to Jica, the city generates 3,200 tonnes of waste a day while Waste Concern, an NGO working on waste management, calculates the figure at 4,500 to 5,000 tonnes.

The corporation collects 44 percent of the total waste. Besides, more than one lakh poor collect 13 percent waste and use them in the recycling industrial sector, the paper said.

Dr Islam claimed that there are around 3,000 slums in the city but Local Government and Rural Development Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan told the Jatiya Sangsad recently that nearly 35 lakh people live in 4,500 slums in the capital.

"There are six lakh mothers in slums and they can earn money by producing bio-fertilizer from the collected waste through barrel composting system," said Maqsood Sinha, executive director of Waste Concern.

"Each kilogram of compost fertilizer sells at Tk 2.50 and conscious slum-dweller mothers can capitalise such opportunity through community participation to reduce poverty," he said.

He said wasted food items contributed to 60 percent of the total waste and this can be a source of income generation by making it bio-fertilizer.

"Waste is a great concern in city slums but it can be easily avoided by managing the wastes," said Dr Islam, adding, "Poor people generate less waste than the rich but the poor become the vital victims of the waste."

Dr Islam said that to create awareness among the slum dwellers, committee could be formed in each slum on waste management. He also suggested introducing training and seminars on waste management. "Dhaka City Corporation has to set up permanent and portable dustbins in all slums," said Dr Islam.

The speakers stressed the need for building awareness among the slum dwellers and urged NGOs to come forward in this regard. They said waste should be treated as resources rather than waste.

The seminar was organised to mark the International Women's Day. About one hundred slum-dweller mothers from 11 city slums participated in the seminar.