PLANNING PROPOSALS FOR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT OF BHOPAL CITY

Abstract

In Bhopal, the collection, transportation and disposal of MSW are unscientific and chaotic. Uncontrolled dumping of wastes on outskirts of city has created overflowing landfills that are not possible to reclaim because of the haphazard manner of dumping. It has created serious environmental implications in terms of ground water pollution and contributed to global warming. Solid Waste Management is one of the important areas which is neglected during the years. Municipal Authority is unable to provide a fool-proof system to tackle these problems. The main objectives of this dissertation are the investigation of current solid waste management practices and give proposals for efficient solid waste management for the Bhopal city area. Literature on solid waste management in Bhopal has been reviewed and data analysed. The results show a rapid increase in the total amount of municipal solid wastes and significant changes in their composition. Increasing population is one of the major factor for it. The total solid waste generation has reached 0.43 kg per capita per day. Waste analysis indicated a high percentage of food wastes and other compositeable products. Different waste treatment options for municipal solid waste have been studied and the factors affecting the important management issues in the operation of Bhopal's solid waste management system are discussed. Key design data and other useful information selected from a variety of reliable sources are presented. Two new sites are proposed for municipal solid waste disposal and treatment. The adoption of modern waste management practices should be emphasized in order to achieve greater efficiency. Composting, both aerobic and anaerobic options, are available to the city for scientific disposal of waste in future. Finally, recommendations have been given to enable the municipal corporations to run the waste services efficiently. ii