COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SOLID WASTE CHARACTERISTICS AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN TWO TOWNS OF PUNJAB

Abstract

Generally, studies on solid waste (SW) have only been done in big cities all over the world. Like other parts of the globe, SW studies in small towns and cantonments have never been touched in the country yet. So, small Kharian Town and its Cantonment were chosen for comparison of municipal solid waste (MSW) characteristics and management practices. Data on SW generation, composition and management practices were taken from both the localities for two weeks (November 15-21, 2008 and January 22-28, 2009). The overall solid waste management (SWM) is comparatively better in Cantonment, but it is deteriorating in Town. In Town, 37,809 residents, living in 6,098 households, generate approximately 7.66 t/d of municipal solid waste (MSW) at the rate of 202.61 g/c/d; while in Cantonment, 38,072 inhabitants, living in 6,922 households, generate around 9.19 t/d of MSW at the rate of 241.43 g/c/d. Maximum waste generation rate (WGR) of 424.99 g/c/d was estimated in high socioeconomic group (HSEG) of Cantonment, while minimum WGR of 106.67 g/c/d was found in low socioeconomic group (LSEG) of Town. The households from lower to high SEG generate more waste both in Town and Cantonment. Two tractor-trolleys and 30 handcarts are being used for SW collection in Town, while six tractor-trolleys and 50 handcarts are used in Cantonment. Physical composition of the waste shows that there is a mixture of different types of components; with a significant portion of food waste (59-78% in Town and 50-71% in Cantonment).The waste composition in both localities indicates a good prospect of recycling and composting. Moreover, positive co-relation was found between waste generation quantities and household and family size in all three socioeconomic groups of both the study areas. Most of the households (90%) in Cantonment found to take collection service from the Cantonment Board of Kharian (CBK) were highly satisfied. In Town, only a little percentage of households (30%) seemed satisfied from the SW collection services by the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA). The performance of CBK is much better as compared to TMA Kharian due to better monitoring, enforcement, infrastructure planning, adequate equipment and machinery and awareness among people. Up-to-date GIS maps are created with the help of ArcGIS 9.2 which consist of all required parameters for MSW management, like collection points, transportation road network, as well as the location of disposal sites. As in both the study areas, very small amount of waste is being generated, so it is suggested that for Town and Cantonment and neighboring cities be established in the Pubbi Hills.