On 14 April 2017, the day Sri Lankans were celebrating their traditional New Year, a part of the 19 acres, 300 feet high garbage mountain at Meethotamulla, Sri Lanka, collapsed, killing 32 persons, with 8 others officially listed as missing.

In urban settings of the developing countries, the municipal authorities do not pay attention to landfills, or, as often is the case, the garbage dumps. The waste keeps piling up, growing bigger in size, and this could be a wake-up call for the municipal authorities, in view of the Sri Lanka tragedy.

In Karachi, Pakistan, little attention is paid to garbage dumps size, as this subject is of low priority. Safety aspect is all the more important as the boys scavenge the waste.

Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) has done a lot of work on solid waste management. Could anybody guide me on the SEI guidelines on the “size” of the garbage dumps?

F H Mughal