STUDY OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ALIGARH CITY

Abstract

Waste is an unavoidable by product of life. Economic development, urbanization and improving living standards in cities, have led to an increase in the quantity and complexity of generated waste. Rapid growth of population and industrialization degrades the urban environment and places. Serious stress on natural resources, which undermines equitable and sustainable development. Inefficient management and disposal of solid waste is an obvious cause of degradation of the environment in most cities of the developing world. Municipal corporations of the developing countries are not able to handle increasing quantities of waste, which results in uncollected waste on roads and in other public places. There is a need to work towards a sustainable waste management system, which requires environmental, institutional, financial, economic and social sustainability. The present investigation is a case study of Aligarh, which has a major problem of municipal solid waste and its management. Presently the inhabitants of Aligarh generate about 300 tonnes/day of Municipal Solid Waste, which is projected to rise to 350-400 tonnes/day by the year 2021. The cost of waste management in Aligarh, India is estimated. About 74% of the collected MSW is treated through composting, the only treatment option, and rest is disposed in uncontrolled open landfills at the outskirts of the city. The existing composting plants are unable to operate to their intended treatment capacity due to several operational problems. Therefore, along with residue from the composting process, the majority of MSW is disposed in landfills. In absence of leachate and landfill gas collection systems, these landfills are a major source of groundwater contamination and air pollution (including generation of greenhouse gases). This study describes and evaluates the present state of municipal solid waste management in Aligarh. This thesis also summarizes the total cost of solid waste management services in Aligarh and the economical sustainabiIity of the existing MSW management system.