Urbanization and Solid Waste Management in India: Present Practices and Future Challenges

Abstract

Urbanization is now becoming a global phenomenon, but its ramifications are more pronounced in developing countries. High rate of population growth, declining opportunities in rural areas and shift from stagnant and low paying agriculture sector to more paying urban occupations, largely contribute to urbanization. The unexpected immigration has also caused the burgeoning of slums and the growth of squatters and informal housing all around the rapidly expanding cities of the developing world. In many cites the rapid population growth has overwhelmed the capacity of municipal authorities to provide even basic services. Urbanization directly contributes to waste generation, and unscientific waste handling causes health hazards and urban environment degradation. Solid Waste Management which is already a mammoth task in India is going to be more complicated with the increase in urbanization, changing lifestyles and increase in consumerism. Financial constraints, institutional weaknesses, improper choice of technology and public apathy towards Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) have made this situation worse. The current practices of the uncontrolled dumping of waste on the outskirts of towns/cities have created a serious environmental and public health problem. The focus of the present paper is to see the upcoming trends of urbanization in India and accordingly generation of waste. The present paper evaluates the current practices prevalent in India to deal with this solid waste and problems associated with it. It also provides the measures to deal this waste in healthy and environment friendly manner so that it may prove a resource instead of waste.