Dumping Yard-Free Society Through Sustainable Solid Waste Management: A Case Study of Varanasi City

Abstract

Municipal solid waste is an inevitable by-product of anthropogenic activities, and it is leading to pollute the urban atmosphere. Poor urban service delivery incorporating inadequate and inefficient solid waste management has deteriorated and grimed the situation in urban areas of developing countries. Varanasi, the city of temples and prominent religious place of Uttar Pradesh in India, has been incorporated as the study area to conduct the research work. On an average, the city generates 650 metric ton of solid waste each day and approximately 480 metric ton of it is dumped at Ramna dumping ground in mixed form under open sky and rest remains unattended. Dearth of expertise, lack of skilled manpower, insufficient waste vehicles and waste bins are certain flaws, which have been identified in the current solid waste management practices. Thus, the paper would augment the prudence to be familiar with the real scenario of waste management practices in the city. The thorough study of the related literature has been established to understand factors affecting waste management systems. Data related to waste management has been compiled from municipal office, and randomly, 45 wards have been opted to conduct the household survey. The stakeholders have been recruited using simple random sampling method and have been interviewed with a proper set of questionnaire. The survey reveals that solid waste management service delivery is in stressed condition, and thus, immediate actions are required to mitigate the problem in the area. Finally, concluding the research work, it can be stated that if an integrated waste management plan and the recommendations are implemented candidly, the waste generated from urban areas may be a great resource for different sectors and would no more be a headache for the local authority.