Question.
Mention major problems associated with urban waste disposal in India.
(NCERT class 12 geography, India People and Economy, Chapter-12: Geographical Perspective on Selected Issues and Problems)
Answer.
Waste is those things that after their use are thrown in the garbage. Waste material includes a variety of things such as small pieces of metal, broken glassware, containers, polythene bags, plastic items such as ashes, floppies, CDs, electrical and electronic waste, etc.
Nowadays, waste generation and waste disposals are major challenges and concerns in India mainly due to the huge population, change in our lifestyle and consumption patterns, and a huge expansion of industries and urban settlements.
Most urban waste (household waste and industrial waste) is disposed of either on public land or at private sites. The municipality collects these wastes and disposes of them according to its facilities in low-lying public grounds called landfill areas.
Following are the major problems related to urban waste disposal in India:
Huge piles of ash debris from industries, thermal power, construction materials, and demolition pose a serious problem for timely collection and disposal by the authorities. Because there is a lack of space, people, and machines to dispose of it.
As per estimates, around 90% of solid waste is collected and disposed of in major cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Bengaluru; Apart from these big cities, about 30 to 35 percent of the waste in most of the cities and towns of the country is not collected and this waste is dumped on open roads, between houses, and in a barren land. The absence of modern technology for the uncollected waste and urban disposal causes many health problems.
Large piles of urban waste lead to a shortage of landfills because most landfills have already exceeded their storage capacity.
The waste creates foul smells in the surrounding landfill areas as well as in the dustbin areas and they create air pollution.
Disposal sites and dustbin areas harbor many disease-carrying flies and rodents that act as carriers of diseases like malaria, cholera, typhoid, diarrhea, etc.
Wind and rainwater scatter the waste and due to this surface rainwater pollutes rivers, lakes, etc.
Chemicals released from decomposing waste in landfills, when leaching underground, pollute the groundwater nearby.
River pollution is caused by the discharge of urban waste into the river.
The discharge of untreated sewage into rivers causes many serious health problems for the people below and for the environment.
Untreated waste ferments slowly and releases toxic biogas such as methane into the atmosphere.
How to solve urban waste disposal in India:
- Urban waste should be treated as a resource and used for generating energy and other uses.
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