Assessment On Solid Waste Management with Special Reference to Manipur, Northeast India- A Review

ISBN: 978-93-7143-285-6 209 Chapter - 11 Assessment On Solid Waste Management with Special Reference to Manipur, Northeast IndiaA Review Dr. L. Sarnabati Devi Department of Environmental Science, Thambal Marik College, Oinam, Bishnupur District, Manipur Dr. G. Premeshwori Devi Department of Environmental Science, Thambal Marik College, Oinam, Bishnupur District, Manipur Corresponding author: [email protected] ABSTRACT: The solid waste or garbage has always posed a problem in relation to the scarcity of open space. The urban centre of Imphal with approximate population of 3 lakhs produces 110 metric tons of waste per day. Imphal Municipal Corporation (IMC) collects and disposed half of the waste only. Solid waste management (SWM) is part of the main duty of the city administrators and one of the effective strategies in good governance. The quantity of solid waste produced is determined by the growing population and the nature of the activity related to it. Unhealthy solid waste practices not only result in a number of health risks but also one that results in environmental depreciation in numerous ways. SWM is effective in reducing negative health and environmental effects, resource savings, and enhancing the liability of metropolitan Assessment On Solid Waste Management with Special 210 areas. Nevertheless, unsustainable SWM procedures, which are spurred by rapid urbanisation and lack of funds and institutional constraints, affect the environment and health of the population negatively. This paper tries to assess a detailed review of MSW generation, its effect and its solution with special reference to the Imphal area. The current study has shown that more waste is generated during the monsoon than the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon. Besides, the paper highlighted the solid waste production and the subsequent adverse effects it has on different environmental factors and on human lives. The solid waste management within Manipur continues to be a dilemma because it happens that it is largely limited to the traditional way of collecting, transportation and disposal of waste. The government and NGOs should act to come up with the required measures to create appropriate measures of proper management approaches. Keywords: Solid Waste Management, Sustainability, Health hazards, Imphal, Urbanisation 1. Introduction Everything that human beings do whether simple or complex creates waste. Waste refers to a material, either solid, liquid or gas that has been disposed of due to the fact that it has served its purpose or rather it has achieved its mission. Waste is normally regarded as something useless and does not have economic value to most individuals. Waste is also referred to as garbage, rubbish or refuse. Solid waste is any undesirable or useless solid substance that is produced as a result of different Dr. L. Sarnabati Devi 211 activities of humans in their homes or industries and commercial zones. Governments and companies are now putting measures to use this waste to benefit and minimise the risk of damaging the environment. This change in lifestyle has led to a massive expansion in the proportion of the inorganic contents of the wastes, as a result of which the wastes have severely impacted the SWM, being a global issue today (Khajuria et al., 2012). Currently the waste disposal situation has become quite a menace in comparison with the past periods when the garbage was mainly organic, and would not pose much harm to the environment as it could be safely disposed in the lowlands which would be part of the natural biogeochemical processes (Beede et al., 1995). The major factors that have led to the increase in these manufactured materials include the increasing urbanisation, the increased consumerism, and the extremely growing population and their diversifying activities. All these factors are not only impacting a specific region or even a nation, but have caused solid waste generation (SWG) to become an international concern (Mathur, 2012). The World is acutely experiencing a struggle, but still has not discovered a proper and effective way to handle waste in nearly all countries. But this posed problem has been handled well by some developed nations such as Germany, Italy, Canada and Australia. The management of solid waste is of great concern in ensuring the sustainable development of the world. It also encourages minimisation in the use of nonrenewable resources, reuse and recycling of material waste to eliminate pollution, save costs, and promote green development. The current paper will address the gathering of a Assessment On Solid Waste Management with Special 212 literature review of the solid waste production in various countries. The primary questions of the research are to perform a data analysis of waste to be produced in the Imphal region. Household garbage in most developing nations is discarded in a landfill or dumpsite. The improper disposal of waste materials by dumping or burning it in the open field or littering water bodies is very dangerous to the environment. On the same note, some of these cities still contain poorly managed facilities and uncontrolled dumping (Abul, 2010). Such practices have several issues, among them, which include resource depletion, pollution of the environment and human health, such as the spread of communicable diseases. A more sustainable way of handling the waste has been reported by many researchers such as Yang, et al., (2018); Abdul-Aziz et al., (2007); Kabera, et al., (2019) stating the practices conduct more focused on reducing the production, waste classes, reuse, recycling, and energy recovery rather than the widespread practice of landfilling, open dumps, and open incineration. This is an environment-friendly method though in the early phase in the Global South and has a lower negative impact, in human health and environment compared to the usual practices (Abubakar, et al., 2016; Khan, et al., 2013; Zafar, 2015). Uncontrolled MSW is a presence that leads to the transmission of indefinite illnesses (Kumar et al., 2009). Solid garbage or waste management has never been a thing that lacks space in the open areas that is characteristic of the city and town. The problem is being aggravated through the ever-rising Dr. L. Sarnabati Devi 213 population, an increase in the standards of living and the migration to the city that is on the rise. The city of Imphal, which has approximately 3 lakhs people, produces 110 metric tonnes of solid waste materials on a daily basis. Currently, the Imphal Municipal Corporation, IMC, which takes care of solid waste management, can collect and dispose only some 50 percent of the waste. The rest of the 50 per cent of the waste, therefore, will always find its way to the two rivers - the Imphal and the Nambul Rivers, which pass through the city and finally empty into the hottest tourist attraction of the state, Manipur, the Loktak Lake, the largest freshwater lake of East India. Fortunately, the theory of solid waste management offers an alternative solution to the proper disposal of the waste that is being produced in these areas. The waste, mainly disposed of in the main city market areas and in the households of various wards in the city, is presently being gleaned by the Imphal Municipal Corporation and some of the NGOs. These are solid wastes, which are dumped at the Solid Waste Treatment Plant at Lamdeng, located in Imphal West District of Manipur, built by the State Government in the theme of waste to energy and contracted out to a company named Innovative Eco-Care Pvt. Ltd, Ahmedabad. Lamdeng Solid Waste Management Plant is required, which will transform waste into energy, such as biocity compost and electricity. As of October 2018, the plants have been processing 1150 metric tonnes of bio-fertilizers since December 2016 until today. Assessment On Solid Waste Management with Special 214 2. Materials and Methods The current paper employs a desktop research method of gathering and interpreting pertinent information on the current literature, as employed in part of the past studies (Balogun et al., 2022). Conduct of the present was informed by three primary goals, namely (1) Relevant literature reviews were obtained (2) analysis of the data regarding the waste produced in Imphal area during pre-monsoon and monsoon and postmonsoon (3) to establish the extent of the study area. The initial phase was to search and gather specific literature in the Internet. The peer-reviewed academic publications (peerreviewed articles, conference proceedings and books) were identified using Google Scholar and Scopus databases. Fig.1: Study site of solid waste generation at Solid Waste Management Treatment Plant at Lamdeng, Imphal West, Manipur Dr. L. Sarnabati Devi 215 The gathered literature was grounded on the research purpose and there are documents that were written not more than two decades ago, even though some outdated materials with the developed ideas and methods were also available. The second aim was on the organisation and analysis of the available information. Finally, the third phase was to investigate human and environmental effects of SWM practices to policy and practical recommendations of a more sustainable SWM system. In the case of the current research, the area of the study was done in Solid Waste Management Treatment Plant, Lamdeng, Imphal West, Manipur. The Plant is approximately 10 km away from the city of Imphal. 3. Results and Discussion: 3.1. Solid waste management in global level: In developing nations, the majority of cities receive 50-80 per cent of the generated waste with the expenditure of 20-50 per cent of their budget, with 80-95 per cent expended on gathering and hauling of waste (Guerrero, 2013; World Bank, 2018). Furthermore, it is expected that global SWM expenditures will rise to approximately 375.5 billion dollars in 2025 and that over four-and-a-half-fold rise in lowerto middle-income countries and a 5-fold increase in low-income countries (Hoornweg, et al., 2012). The cost element of garbage collection, transportation, and disposal is significant in the SWM systems throughout the world. Underfunding is its enemy towards the optimisation of MSW disposal services. The unsustainable method of dumping or setting waste in an open area, typically in poor areas located in the city outskirts, or of flipping garbage into water bodies Assessment On Solid Waste Management with Special 216 was an agreeable garbage disposal system. Equally, old generation or poorly maintained facilities and informal, uncontrolled dumping and open-air burning of waste continue in use in several cities. In many cases, such activities impact on the underprivileged social populations around the dumping areas (Abul, 2010). In addition, the method has a number of sustainability issues, one of them being the depletion of resources, pollution and health related issues of the people in which there is spread of communicable diseases. 3.2. India: India has a solid waste management divide. Increase and growth in urbanisation and rapid economic growth has led to high numbers of waste generated by urbanisation thereby exerting pressure on the current waste management infrastructure and resources. This mounting waste therefore becomes a critical task to be handled and disposed in an efficient manner to avoid environmental degradation and other health risks. The report of the CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) 2020-21 states that the total amount of solid waste amount produced is 160, 038.9 tons per day (TPD) in the country. Of which 152 749.5 TPD is collected collectively in an effective way. Of the collected waste 79,956.3 TPD i.e. 50 percent is somehow utilized either through a form of treatment and 29,427.2 TPD i.e. 18.4 per cent. of the waste generated goes to landfills and 50,655.4 TPD, representing31.7 per cent of total waste generated is not accounted. Meena et al., (2023) point out that MSW is consistently disposed of without distinction in a manner that has been entangled with unscientific methods, urbanisation, population growth, ethics Dr. L. Sarnabati Devi 217 on their lifestyles, and environmental ignorance. Open dumping of MSW has negative impacts on the environment and human health. Solid waste management involves a variety of processes that travel through the range of processes of producing, storing, collecting, transporting, processing, and disposing solid wastes (Meena et al, 2023). Not only does the mismanagement of these phases contribute to the degradation of the environment, but also is a major menace to the health of the people in such crowded urban centres. Chhabra et al., (2014) pointed out that various modes of treatment and disposal of solid waste are being practiced in different states in India but the lack of resources makes it ineffective. A number of serious problems and issues afflict the solid waste management arena such as lack of correct collection and segregation at the source, the lack of land, careless dumping of electronic waste (e-waste), cost factors and poor awareness in general. 3.3. Solid waste management in Imphal areas Fig.1: Bar diagram showing the monthly waste generation (in kg) during different seasons in the year 2024. 0 50000 100000 150000 200000 250000 300000 April May June July Aug Oct Nov Dec