Explained: Why India Must Take Serious Measures To Manage Its Waste

In India, the giant garbage dumps in major metropolitan cities of India are catching fire, the most recent is a massive fire at New Delhi¡¯s Bhalswa garbage dumpsite. The garbage continues to burn for more than three days increasing already hot temperatures and pollution.

The North Municipal Corporation of Delhi is slapped with a Rs 50 lakh fine for negligence by the government of Delhi. It was the fourth such fire in Delhi¡¯s garbage dumpsite. The fire reports are coming out from several parts of India as recently Chennai Perungudi dumpsite also caught fire.

When it took 3 months to extinguish fire in Mumbai

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The pictures of the fire in the garbage dump in Deonar, Mumbai in the year 2016 are still alive in people's eyes!

It took about three months to extinguish the fire in 18 feet tall garbage heap. The fire not only produced tons of cancer-causing smoke but also made life miserable for the people living around it.

Notorious for its garbage, Deonar was named the most polluted suburb in a 2015 report.

What are the adverse impacts of fire?

The burning of garbage is the third biggest reason behind the increasing greenhouse emission in India. It not only affects our health but also contaminates the land, water and food.

Burning of waste also adds carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and particulate particles in large quantities to the air. In India, 6 per cent of methane is emitted due to the chemicals released after burning the garbage.

Also, it is believed that by the year 2047, India will need 1,400 square kilometres of space to manage its waste. This place is so large that it can easily accommodate big cities like Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

A 2021 report by the United Nations Environment Programme said the most human-caused methane emission originates from three sectors: waste, agriculture and fossil fuels. The report also shows that landfills and wastewater make up about 20 per cent of emissions.

62 million tonnes of garbage is generated in India every year

The planning commission report (2014) reveals that urban India produces 62 million tonnes of garbage every year. Not only this, but this number also increases by 4 per cent every year.

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This waste that accumulates in such a huge quantity is of three types. One is organic and biodegradable waste that ends up mixing in the soil, the second is recyclable i.e. plastic and non-biodegradable waste and finally comes bio-medical such as sanitary and hazardous waste.

According to a 2010 report by the McKinsey Global Institute, about 50 per cent of waste is organic, but the remaining two types of waste are increasing rapidly.

US Public Health lists 22 diseases that develop due to improper handling of solid waste. The smoke that comes out due to burning garbage in the open increases the risk of asthma and heart attack.

India's largest landfill is 65 feet high

Major metropolitan cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kolkata together generate about 10 million tonnes of waste every day. The problem here is not how much waste is being generated, but this waste is not being disposed of.

Mumbai alone generates over 9,600 metric tonnes of garbage every day. But there are only three places to dispose of this waste. The main landfill here is 90 years old and now it has reached its worst condition. It is 15 meters high.

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In addition, another 25 hectares of landfills exists in Mulund since 1968. This too has passed its time limit.

At the same time, Delhi is also not far behind in this matter. The capital produces 9,000 metric tonnes a day, with Ghazipur, Okhla and Bhalswa the three main landfills to deal with.

Ghazipur landfill is the largest landfill in India and it is also responsible for increasing air pollution in the area. Spread over 70 acres, the landfill is currently 65 feet high just 8 meters short of the height of the Qutub Minar. With more than 12 million tonnes of waste, it rises by 10 meters every year.

Its working deadline has expired in the year 2002, but due to no other option, it is still in use.

India's 60 major cities together produce about 3,500 tonnes of plastic waste. Out of which Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore are the most responsible.

45 million tonnes of waste are not managed

According to the 2011 census, only one-third of the households have a sewer system in their house. Also, 38.2 per cent of the households have toilets connected to septic tanks. The worse thing is that the condition of the built tanks is also very bad.

This means that most of this waste is discharged into municipal sewers or drains and rivers. Similarly, out of 62 million tonnes of garbage, 45 million tonnes of waste are not managed.

What is Solid Waste Management Rules 2016?

These rules focus on the segregation of waste at the source, the responsibility of the manufacturer to dispose of sanitary and packaging wastes, and user fees for collection, disposal and processing from the bulk generator.

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Promoting the use of compost, and conversion of waste into energy, the rule also includes the suggestion on how bio-degradable waste should be processed, treated and disposed of.

A Central Monitoring Committee under the chairmanship of Secretary, MoEF&CC is also constituted by the government to monitor the overall implementation of the rules.

2 million people associated with this work are in danger

We often only talk about garbage and the pollution and problems caused by it. But, who can forget the picture of children who go out every morning to pick up the garbage with a small bag on their back?

Reports estimated that about 2 million people in India pick up garbage or get their employment from it. This includes all the families who do everything from collecting the garbage to the disposal of your household waste.

Some estimates also show that about 40 per cent of the people working in the waste work are under 18 years of age. This includes small children as well. These reports become even more serious when it is revealed that about 2 million people associated with this work are in danger.

Indore is the most recent and biggest example

Indore, which was ranked 25th in the cleanliness survey of the year 2015, has now reached the number-1 position. This journey to Indore has not been easy. Here, the municipal corporation improved the sanitation system with hundreds of workers and modern machines and also paid attention to solid waste management.

Due to these changes and activism towards cleanliness of Indore, today it has become open defecation free.

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Along with the awareness campaign, two dustbins each for dry and wet waste were kept in the entire city. The Municipal Corporation was made more active to take the garbage to the homes of the people.

Apart from this, transportation hubs were set up at 10 places in Indore, which take all the garbage from here to the trenching ground. Also, there are seven thousand sweepers who are engaged in cleaning day and night.

There is a fine of 100 to 500 rupees for spreading filth, spitting and defecating or urinating in the open. The biggest thing is that up to one lakh rupees are spot fined on those who spread dirt in Indore.

There are more than 170 public and 125 community toilets, which are cleaned four times a day.

This is the reason that today Indore has become a completely garbage-free city.

100% of waste is disposed of here. In the meantime, gardens are being built on top of the old waste disposal in the trenching ground. In addition, the corporation is also making daily bio-CNG from the waste generated from vegetable markets.

Apart from this, in the year 2018, Shishuna village of Nagaland's capital Kohima was also declared tobacco, plastic and garbage free by the Government of India. There are many more such examples that suggest that we can deal with this problem.

How scientific landfills can be helpful?

The most common problem caused by landfills is the mixing of solid waste into soil and water and polluting them. The solid waste mixes and pollutes underground water and soil, which directly or indirectly affects all the people who use it. It also affects the food chain to a great extent.

In such a situation, a scientific landfill is being seen as a solution. In this process, the problem of waste going underground is eliminated.

Notably, a layer of 90 meters of soil is made in this, in which two layers of drainage and vegetative are made so that the risk of soil overflow is eliminated. In this process, comparatively little methane gas is also produced.

Vertical wells are also built by which methane gas is stored and used to generate heat and electricity.

This is an effective method that is used in countries like Sweden and Norway. India has also started working on it now.

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