Solid Waste Management (SWM): Case Studies at an Educational Campus and in the Neighbourhood of Panihati, North 24 Pargana, West Bengal, India

Abstract

The rapid growth of worldwide population and urbanization is a significant challenge for the Global Waste Management Industry including Solid Waste Management System (SWMS). Being a responsible citizen and teaching professional at a self-financing institute of technology, located at Panihati, a suburb near Kolkata, the author is also very much concerned about the issue. Very poor SWMS outside the institute campus under A category Panihati Municipality within Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) creating horrible and absolutely unhygienic environmental condition and the lush green, clean campus inside as maintained by the institute owner, creates such a contrasting scenario that the present study is undertaken to unveil the reasons behind. The study is executed in two parts. In the first part, detailed survey is conducted on the existing facilities of Panihati Municipality SWMS including manpower resources, the management techniques, associated technologies and their utilization through the segregation, collection, transportation, treatment and disposal for generated amount of solid wastes to make pollution-free environment in the locality. The relevant data is obtained from Panihati Municipality and individual field visit. The study reveals several lacunas in the existing government-run system. In the second part, the SWMS of an educational campus in Panihati Municipality area is highlighted. It is interesting to mention that in the same campus, there are Dental College and Hospital, Hotel Management Institute, Pharmaceutical Institute and Engineering College along with the students’ hostel and staff quarters which are growing day by day. So an well-planned management system for generated Clinical and Pharmaceutical Wastes, Food Wastes, E-wastes and Constructional Wastes—the well known solid wastes, is very crucial. The present study reveals that greater public awareness and application of systematic waste management techniques as adopted by the private management, keeps the campus clean and healthy for the residents including the students, to meet the challenges of present-day SWMS successfully.