Solid Waste Management of Dibrugarh Municipality Board: Present Status, Challenges and Its Future Prospects.

Presented by: Annesha Mech

Department of Economics, Dibrugarh University

Introduction:
Solid waste are unwanted materials disposed off by man which can neither flow into the streams nor escape immediately into the atmosphere causing pollution of air, water and soil.

Solid Waste Management (SWM) has been a neglected area of urban

development and often accounts for severe health and environmental

problems. Proper waste management includes various aspects: source reduction, onsite storage, collection and transfer, processing and disposal.

Dibrugarh Municipality Board (DMB) established in 1873,is responsible for SWM within the municipality limits of Dibrugarh town, spreading over an area of 15.40sqkm divided into 22 wards.

Objectives:

1) To study the existing status of solid waste

management of Dibrugarh Municipality Board

2) To identify problems faced by DMB in waste

management
3) To study initiatives that are planned to be

undertaken by DMB.
4) To suggest some ways for improving SWM in

DMB

Methodology:

Primary data

Visit to Dibrugarh Municipality Board, Dumping site in Maijan

Secondary data

Collected from newspapers, journals and website of dibrugarh municipality.

Discussion:

1. Existing status of Solid waste management of Dibrugrh Municipality Board:

Solid waste generation within the municipality area is about 60 to 65 metric tones per day.

No formal door to door garbage collection. there are about 15 big dustbins and 40 small dustbins nine tractors, 2 robot waste collector cars, 1 dumper

and 3 excavators are involved in collection, disposal

and leveling of waste.

Waste are collected from the roadside bins and are disposed off at dumping ground in Maijan with no further treatment.

Assam Medical College has the only Bio-medical waste treatment facility with an incinerator capacity of 150kg.

2. Problems faced by the Dibrugarh Municipality Board in waste management:

Generation of solid waste are increasing with rise in population and increase

in economic activities.
Due to financial constraints labourers employed are inadequate and unskilled,

lesser vehicles are available for waste collection and disposal.

No suitable technology available for treating garbages. Availability of only 1 dumping ground where untreated waste are being

disposed since 1981, resulting in piling of waste and about 80% of the dumping ground has been filled up which is a matter of great concern where

the future waste will be disposed off.

People tend to throw the waste on the adjoining roads and outside dustbins

increasing the work of collection staff of DMB.

Waste being thrown outside the dustbins

Untreated waste in the dumping ground of Maijan leading to degradation of environment.

3. Initiatives that are planned to be undertaken by Dibrugarh Municipality Board for waste management:
Dibrugarh will have a waste management plant

worth Rs.16 crore near Khanikar farm, about 6 km away from Dibrugarh town which will be financed by Asian Development Bank.
The ADB had further agreed to give a loan of

Rs.150 crore for clearing the main drain from Paltan

Bazar to the Sessa river.

4. Ways for improving solid waste management by Dibrugarh Municipality Board:

Improving waste segregation and storage at source. Improving collection of waste through door to door collection of

segregated waste.
Adoption of some scientific and eco-friendly methods of disposal and

treatment of solid waste which are as follows:

Recycling of organic waste:

(a)Vermicomposting

(b) Biomethanation (anaerobic digestion) (c) Aerobic composting

Treatment of inorganic waste depends on its physical and chemical characteristics and on its reuse potential. The inorganic waste should be segregated into recyclable and non-recyclable. Waste recycling in Dibrugarh Municipality area has many untapped potentials.

Thermal treatment techniques:

(i) Incineration

incinerators

(ii)

Gasification technology

(iii) Refuse derived fuel technology

Sanitary landfills will minimise migration of leachate through soil strata,

supress the foul odour and improve the aesthetic quality.DMB should discontinue open dumping and adapt sanitary landfill practices.

Conclusion:
Adopt sustainable solid waste management practices by adapting various
eco-friendly methods of waste management. Cooperation among public and municipality. Outsourcing certain services and resorting to public private partnership/ Non-governmental Organisation participation in providing certain SWM services inorder to improve efficiency and services of Dibrugarh Municipality Board.

Literature Cited:
[1] S. G. Misra & D. Mani (1993): Pollution through Solid Waste, Ashish publishing House, New Delhi. [2] V.Garg & J.Rani: Perspectives of Municipal Solid Management In India: A Case Study Of Chandigarh. [3] R.Rajput, G.Prasad and Choreas, Scenario of solid waste management in present Indian context, Caspian Journal of Environment Science, Vol. 7 (1), pp. 45-53, 2009. [4] http://dibrugarhmunicipality.org/Index.html [5] Anonymous. Sept 25, 2012. Waste management plant in Dibrugarh to be completed The Sentinel [6] Da Zhu, P. U. Asnani, C. Zurbrgg, S. Anapolsky & S. Mani 2008: Improving Municipal Solid Waste Management in India. The World Bank, Washington D.C. doi: 10.1596/ 978-0-8213-7361-3. [7] P.Singh and R.Singhvi: Vermiculture: Eco-Friendly Measure to Reduce Household Pollution through Standard Method of Garbage Disposal. Research Journal of Family, Community and Consumer Sciences ISSN 2320 902X Vol. 1(2), 18-21, April (2013) Res. J. Family, Community and Consumer Sci.

[8] M.Sharholy, K. Ahmad, G. Mahmood, R.C. Trivedi (2007): Municipal solid waste management in Indian cities A review [9] N.Ahsan, 1999. Solid waste management plan for Indian megacities. Indian Journal Of Environmental Protection 19 (2), 9095 [10] R.R.Khan, 1994. Environmental management of municipal solid wastes. Indian Journal of Environmental Protection 14 (1), 2630. [11] J.Rani, V.Aggarwal, M.K.Sidhu: Role of Landfilling in Solid waste ManagementA case study of Chandigarh Municipal Solid Waste Disposal. International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, ISSN 09734562 Vol. 7 No.11 (2012).

Acknowledgement : I thank Mr. Bipul Phukan, Sanitary Inspector of DMB for his cooperation.

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