Management Information System

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN CALICUT CORPORATION

By Rafa Ahamed.C

Introduction
Normally environmental degradation is perceived in terms of industrial pollution, deforestation, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and so on. Solid wastes have moved to the centre of the environmental stage in the last 10 to 15 years due to the exponential growth of the P game, i.e. growth and concentration of People, Products, Power, Pollutants and Places. The Pneumonic Plague, which hit Surat in September 1994 made the people conversant on the problem of pile of rotting garbage. Recently the unattended garbage is considered as a hard nut to be cracked under the purview of environmental problems. Waste materials are generated in three forms of matter, namely solid, liquid and gaseous. Liquid and gaseous wastes are permitted to escape from the sources only after proper treatment to make them hazard free. Moreover these two forms are generated in dangerous and bulk quantities only by limited number of concerns which are identified. But waste in solid form is generated by individuals, households and commercial establishments irrespectively. Even in better managed cities the problem of solid waste disposal and management appear almost intractable. The studies conducted by different agencies reveal that the problems of solid waste pollution are almost identical in metropolitan cities and smaller towns across the country. Reliable estimates of solid waste generation are not readily available, most of the estimates are based on per capita norms. It is estimated that each urban resident generates 350 to 1,000 grams of solid wastes every day. If the wastes from commercial and industrial establishments are considered the total waste generated per day will add upto an enormous quantity. The accumulated and unattended solid wastes lead to serious problems due to the several types of damages it cause to the environment. The unscientific disposal of waste materials including biodegradable and biomedical wastes leads to serious health hazards by way of water, air and soil pollution. When they are put into open dumps they min the beauty of the surrounding areas and become an abode of disease carrying microbes, such as bacteria, virus, fungi and dreadful unicellular organism. Wastes dumped into water bodies lead to various forms of water pollution and may destroy aquatic habitation. Once the water stream gets polluted it can't be changed into its previous natural and non polluted form. Some waste can be destroyed by burning or incinerating them, but this produces smoke that causes air pollution.

The negative externalities emerged due to improper disposal of waste include health damages to human beings and animals, and aesthetic impairment from unsightly litter and trash accumulation. The dengue fever and Weil's disease epidemics seen in Kerala for last three years is an example of how urbanization, urban conveniences and modernization without proper planning and care of waste management lead to the spread of disease. Ironically, both the lack of proper waste management and the provision of improper management trigger disease syndrome which often become uncontrollable because of lack of understanding of the dimension of disease. Moreover the plastic waste content in solid waste are increasing in a tremendous manner making the problem of waste management as a complicated one. The throw away plastic bags and pet bottles lead to so many adverse impacts to human beings and natural habitation. It also pose a grave danger to cows and other animals which wander about the city streets for food, the plastics ingested with food, clogs the intestine and leads to a painful death to the animals. The deaths of some inmates in Trivandrum zoo in recent past reveal how the plastic containers and carry bags affect the animal life. From all these contexts, it is clear that an urgent measure is required for the proper collection and management of solid waste materials from our surroundings and thereby curbing pollution.

Solid Waste Problem in Calicut corporation

As a fast developing city the Calicut Corporation also faces the ever fulminating problem of solid waste pollution. According to 1991 census the corporation has a population of 4,19,831 with 67,468 households, in addition to this nearly one lakh people are considered to be the floating population of the city per day. The effective population then come to be 5.25 lakhs. Moreover, the city has 71 6 hotels, more than 70 hospitals 23 1 dispensaries, 150 clinical laboratories 1,312 Industrial units, 10,661 commercial establishments and a medical college hospital. Apart from these there are 17 fish markets, one central fish market, one central vegetable market, 87 beef stalls, 23 mutton stalls and 207 Chicken stalls. The city also has 25 commercially rented auditoriums and 7 cremation grounds, all these establishments are considered as the major sources of solid waste generation. A study conducted by Kerala Urban Development Project in 1994, found out that the per capita solid waste generation in Calicut Corporation comes to 203 grams per day. But the recent trend of consumption pattern and higher standard of living changed this rate into nearly 380 grams per day. The current total

waste generation estimated per day ranges between 220 metric tons to 240 metric, tons. In addition to this nearly 20 metric tons of solid waste come to corporation through external sources per day, such a large quantity of waste requires proper system of collection, transportation and disposal. In the past the solid waste pollution was not considered as a problem, at that time the only waste that the corporation authority has to be managed was the human excreta from pit latrines and dead bodies of animals within the corporation area. The rubbish and night soil were collected from the city by corporation authority and taken to the trenching ground and converted it into compost manure. Moreover the solid waste at that time mainly consisted of biodegradable contents and the inhabitants had enough land to dispose them in their own plots. But recently with increasing population and income, the lifestyle of urban residents is changing, the use and throw trend is gaining ground everywhere, and the use of non biodegradable materials for confectionary packing and throw away coffee cups become the necessity of life, over the last five years the composition of waste change with rapid increase in paper, plastic, metal and hazardous materials. As per available literature the total solid waste generated from a town like Calicut is expected to have approximately the following physical composition.

These values are interpolated approximation by statistical calculations done on data obtained from similar localities. Out of the total volume of solid waste generated in the corporation area, the corporation authority collects an average of 110 to 115 metric tons per day. About 60 to 65 metric tons of recyclable parts of solid waste are taken away by rag pickers and waste collectors for recycling and nearly 7 to 9 metric tons are reused by waste generators themselves. The 142 remaining parts of solid wastes are dispersed or dumped as unattended or uncollected waste. The collection service conducted by corporation authority is mainly street sweeping and lifting of garbage bins. The poor collection service leads to unattended waste, which makes the surroundings dirty and filthy, chokes drains and also promotes the breeding of disease carrying vectors which may result in epidemics. In this context a proper garbage collection and disposal ensures good health for the community on the one hand and a positive impact on the overall socio-economic condition of the society.

Solid waste management options

Presently there are two important views about looking at the problem of solid waste, the first one is coloured 'green' by environmental concerns and the catchwords are dirt and ugliness, the management of this view is for cleanliness and beautification of the surrounding environment. In most of the towns and cities this part of waste management comes under the local authority and the problem is resolved by the formal system of solid waste management. The second view pertains to recycling or recovery. This part is managed by a wide 143 range of people, from the poorest of the poor in urban areas represented by the rag pickers through petty traders to the entrepreneurs and workers involved in manufacturing products from recycled materials and eke out a living from collecting part of the generated urban waste and reprocessing it. This informal system of solid waste management also contributes to cleaning cities, where local authorities fail. Like, other urban areas, Calicut corporation also consists of formal and informal system of waste management. About 65 percent of the total solid waste generated in Calicut corporation is managed by the corporation authority under the formal system of waste management. Nearly 60 to 65 metric tons of non bio degradable parts mainly consists of paper, plastic, metal and glass scrap, which constitute the raw material for the reprocessing industry handled by informal

system of waste management. This informal system of waste management is becoming popular through waste collectors consisting of rag pickers and itinerant buyers. The importance of informal system of waste management is that this activity reduces the burden of the municipal system and also provides employment and income to a large number of people. The advent of plastics, metal cans and the use of sophisticated packaging materials provide more importance to this informal system of waste management.

Formal solid waste management system in Calicut Corporation

The Calicut corporation authority contributes significantly to community health and hygiene by clearing the streets and public areas in the city through formal system of waste management. The formal system consists of collection and transportation of city waste to the trenching ground and conversion of it into biofertiliser. Collection and transportation of solid waste is undertaken by the corporation authority and the processing of waste into manure is under the control of a private company.

Collection and transportation of solid waste

The management of solid waste is totally under the control of the health department and the corporation health officer regulates the functions of this department. For the administrative convenience the corporation area is divided into 16 sanitary circles, the health supervisor controls the activities of all these circles. Each of the circles is under the control of a health inspector, below him there is health assistants, junior health inspectors and sanitary supervisors. The table 5.1 shows the total strength of administrative staff in Calicut corporation for solid waste management. Out of the generated solid waste nearly 60-65 percent is collected by corporation authority by employing waste management workers. They also perform the duty of street sweeping and drainage cleaning. Each circle in Calicut corporation contains 8 sweepers, 4 drain cleaners, 4 cart men and 15 sanitary workers. The table 5.2 shows the total strength of workers engaged in waste management of Calicut corporation.

Table 5.1 Administrative staff strength of solid waste management in Calicut corporation

Source: Corporation Records

Table 5.2, Strength of workers in formal system of waste management

Source: Corporation Records

For the purpose of collection, corporation placed nearly 750 dustbins in different locations of the town and there are 6 sub depots 644 also working for this purpose. Apart from these, seven modem containers are placed in most important waste generating places of corporation area. The collected waste from the corporation area is transported to the trenching ground at Njellian Paramba,

10 Kilometres away from the centre town and situated in the adjoining Cheruvannur panchayat for further processing. The transport wing of Calicut corporation for solid waste management consists of 106 hand carts, 42 wheel barrels, 18 tractor with trailers, 6 tipper lorries, 2 multi handling dumper placers, 7 containers and one excavator. The total strength of drivers for this purpose is not adequate, the corporation has 34 drivers, out of this 25 are tractor drivers and 9 are heavy vehicle drivers, these drivers are also utilized for other driving duties of the corporation. The trenching ground at Njellian Paramba have a total area of 18 acres and 4 cents adjoined to the national highway, the area is fenced by compound walls around the ground, but there is way for illegal entry to this ground. Since the contraries are not separated the collected solid waste contains plastic gloves, metals, slaughter house waste and even hospital waste, this attracts birds, stray dogs and rag pickers. The waste strewn around this place is further disbursed by birds like crows, eagles etc. Nearly 400 families are inhabited in the surrounding area of trenching ground, they had complained about the foul smell emanating from trenching ground. During rainy season the seepage from the ground reaches to the wells of neighbouring areas, the disbursing of waste particles by birds also contaminate the water sources of adjoining area. Doctors in this area are of the opinion that there is high incidence of worms' infection compared to other localities having no environmental pollution. The high rate of fly population and mosquitos can be assigned due to atmosphere pollution of this area. Fortunately, people still survive in this locality, the credit should go to the natural immunity they have acquired and the gift of longevity of life.

Processing of solid waste

Calicut corporation use the conventional trench method of landfilling of solid waste upto the last year, but recently due to the continued agitation of the inhabitants of surrounding area of the trenching ground, a new technique of bioconversion of waste into biofertiliser is started by corporation under the control of a private company. Now the solid waste is converted into useful organic manure through controlled aerobic composting and mechanical sieving. The corporation set up the plant with technical knowhow of Excel industries, Mumbai. All organic matters will be converted into manure by biological process, the matters like, plastics, metal, paper and other nondegradable wastes separated on mechanical sieving are disposed off by land fill operation. All necessary infrastructure facilities are provided by the corporation and the processing is done by the Excel industries under lease mechanism. The processing consists of two stages, known as biological process for decomposition of city waste and a mechanical process for screening the

decomposed organic matter. The existing plant has a processing capacity of 300 metric tons per day, but now it is utilizing a processing capacity of 100 metric tons with one shift working. The processing of waste started with the spraying of a biological innoculum, known as 'Celrich substrate DF-BC-01' it is a mixture of biological enzymes and herbal extracts, the innoculam is prepared by using the mixture of bacteria, cow dung and water. Within a couple of hours after the application of innoculam solid waste becomes free from foul smell and hazardous pathogens. The treated garbage is then stacked in the form of windrows. Separate windrows will be formed for each day's collection, these windrows will be turned once in a week for proper aeration, so that aerobic process continues unintenupted. Progress of composting is monitored by measuring inside temperature of the heap and the level of moisture. For optimum results, the temperature has to be between 65-70 degree centigrade and the moisture level should be 25%, this stage of composting is completed within 20-25 days period. The second stage is mechanical process for screening out the digested organic matter in the form of powder free from all impurities. The digested compost is highly heterogeneous having impurities of various shapes, sizes and texture, hence the screening has to be done in different stages, suitable machines based on different screening principles are employed at different stages. Digested compost firstly fed to the tray feeder by front end loader, the garbage thereafter pass through a rotary sifter where unwanted and undigested material like plastics, bigger stones, bottles etc, are separated out. Output of this rotary sifter is lifted through a bucket elevator and fed to a vibrating screen which separate smaller pebbles and impurities. The screened organic matter then sent through a stone separator with arrangements for separation, the output in the finer form then fed to the paddle mixer, imoculam containing various useful microbes, like Azetobactor, Rhyzobium, and micro nutrients are sprayed into the mixture in required proportion for enriching the compost. The final product i.e. biofertilizer is then packed and marketed by the company. This end product has a very good acceptability among the farmers for agriculture as well as horticulture crops, it improves soil fertility, soil texture and water retention capacity of soil, thereby increasing production. The existing plant in Calicut corporation is working under the control of Wynsem Agro Products under a subleasing mechanism. The company employs a total of 22 employees at office, plant and yard, the detailed description of the labour strength is given in table 5.3.

Table 5.3 Employees description of Wynsem Agro Products

Source Company Records

Apart from the plant machineries, the plant uses two J.C.B. and two Bobcats for their processing operations.

Cost of collection and transportation

Total cost of collection and transportation of solid waste in Calicut corporation include the capital expenditure and revenue expenditure incurred for this purpose, the capital expenditure incurred mainly for the purchase of vehicles and containers for storage, collection and transportation. The salary of administrative staff and workers, fuel and repair charges, maintenance expenses and other miscellaneous expenses come under revenue expenditure for collection and transportation. The table 5.4 reveals the total vehicles and containers used by Calicut corporation for collection and transportation and their corresponding costs.

Table 5.4 Capital cost of vehicles and containers

The table 5.5 reveals the monthly salary paid to the administrative staff of Calicut corporation for the management of solid waste. Table 5.5 Monthly salary of administrative staff for solid waste management

The table 5.6 shows the monthly remuneration paid to workers engaged in collection and transportation of solid waste in the study area. Table 5.6 Monthly remuneration to workers in collection and transportation wing

Source: Corporation Budget, 2001-2002

The corporation also incurred Rs. 21,59,008.00 for fuel and repair of vehicles used for collection and transportation and a maintenance expense of Rs. 4,31,446.00 during last year. Apart from these, corporation spend Rs. 8,40,008.00 as miscellaneous expenses for collection and transportation of solid waste. Out of these expenses the monthly expense of the corporation incurred for collection and transportation is calculated and given in table 5.7. Table 5.7 Monthly expenses for collection and transportation of solid waste

Source; Estimated from corporation Budget, 2001-2002

By incurring Rs. 34,92,158.60 the corporation authority collects and transports a monthly average of 3,450 metric tons of solid waste from the corporation area. The cost per ton for the collection and transportation is calculated as Rs.1,012.22 in the formal system of solid waste management of Calicut corporation.

Processing cost of formal solid waste management

The collected solid waste within the study area is processed by a private company through the bioconversion technique. The total project cost of the processing unit is illustrated in table 5.8. Table 5.8 Project cost of processing unit

Source; Project Report

Conclusion
Apart from the project cost the corporation incurred some capital expenditure for purchasing more vehicles and the equipment5 for this scheme. The total capital cost of the scheme then come to Rs. 537 lakhs. This cost is met through central government aid, state government aid, loan from Hudco and corporation fund. As per project report the fixed cost incurred per year come to Rs. 96.5 lakhs and variable cost come to Rs. 550 per ton. The daily production of biofertiliser is 20 metric tons and the total cost per ton is calculated as 1,890.30 for processing. The processed material branded as 'Biogreeen' is marketed by the company in 50 Kgs bags at a price of Rs 275/- per bag. The total production of fertilizer comes to 600 metric tons per month and it yields 33 lakhs Income to the

company. Apart from the income from the sale of the product the company earns an average of Rs. 3,500 per month from the sale of rejected recyclable materials of production process to the waste dealers. The company pays a lease value of Rs. 30 lakhs and a royalty of Rs. 20 lakhs to the corporation per annum as a major part of their expenditure.