Waste Management Outlook for Mountain Regions

are polluted by non-collected waste or leachates produced at dumpsites. This same water is used for drinking, cooking, cleaning or for irrigating crops. The disposal of mixedmunicipal waste containing hazardous medical and household waste, can cause further pollution. Other public health issues from dumpsites include the proliferation of disease-vectors such as rats, mice, flies and other pests that feed on waste. Often, domestic animals feed on waste in open dumping sites, a common practice in many cities in developing countries. These animals also act as vectors, especially of parasitic diseases. The weather and atmospheric conditions at higher altitudes, however, hinders the proliferation of mosquitoes, insects or other species of pests common in lowland cities with more tropical climates. Nonetheless, the effects of open dumping can be particularly harmful to sensitive mountain ecosystems. Furthermore, the effects of dumping waste in river gorges has the potential to impact very large populations as the river waters are used by millions of people living on the floodplains. Uncontrolled burning is often used as an easy way of getting rid of waste or reducing the volume of waste. However, the smoke

produced by burning waste creates risks because of the generation of particulate matter and other hazardous gases emitted into the atmosphere. Air pollution is affected by changes in altitude; incomplete fuel combustion occurs when there are lower levels of oxygen, leading to higher amounts of suspended particles, otherwise known as soot (EPA, 1978). The effects of altitude are not always taken into account in setting standards for air quality. For example, current air quality standards for particulate matter (PM) in some high-altitude cities (El Alto, Medellin and Mexico City) are thought to underestimate the important effects of altitude (reductions in temperature and pressure), which might explain why there is a rising prevalence of asthma and allergies in high-altitude urban areas in Latin America (Bravo Alvarez et al., 2013). The people most likely to be at risk are those living in peri- urban, low-income areas who do not have an adequate collection service, people living in areas adjacent to open dumping sites, especially children and the elderly, and personnel working for urban cleansing services (Scheinberg, Wilson and Rodic-Wiersma, 2010).

Air pollution over Mexico city. Photo © iStock/jcarillet

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