Assessment of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Mysore City
Assessment of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Mysore City
Assessment of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Mysore City
1
Research Scholar, Department of Geography (GIS),Maharaja’s College,
University of Mysore, Mysore
2
Assistant Professor and Course Coordinator of M.Sc. GIS,Department of Geography (GIS),
Maharaja’s College, University of Mysore, Mysore
Abstract
With rapid urbanization and population growth, the Solid Waste Management (SWM) is becoming an acute problem. The
Municipal Solid Waste Management in municipal areas is increasingly assuming importance due to legal intervention, emergence
emergence of newer technologies and rising public awareness towards cleanliness. Mysore, being the second cleanest city in India
has to work hard to maintain the title due to the rapid urbanization. The proper and timely management of solid waste reduces or
eliminates adverse impacts on the environment and human health and supports economic development and improved quality of
life. The present research aims to assess the present status of municipal solid waste management and to suggest measures to
improve them. The Mysore City Corporation is trying to maintain the city clean but the lack of awareness among the residents and
and the lack of segregation of waste at source is the main issue. The authorities do not properly handle the e-waste. The authority
has not carried out the quantification of waste generated in the city. The GPS system installed were efficient to track all the
vehicles transporting the waste but the vehicles were not assigned optimum routes due to the lack of knowledge in GIS technology.
technology.
Key words: Municipal Solid Waste Management, Zero Waste Management, Vermicomposting, GPS
1. INTRODUCTION
The rapid and constant growth in urban population leads to a dramatic increase in urban solid waste generation, with a
severe socio-economic and environmental impact. Due to lack of serious efforts by city authorities and the local residents,
garbage and its management has become a tenacious problem. Selection of the system for the collection, transportation,
recycling, treatment, and disposal can determine the number of recycling bins needed, the day people must place their
garbage at the curb, the truck routes through residential streets, and the cost of waste services to households. It must be
ensured that MSW management is environmentally safe and follows sustainable disposal [1]. Thus, MSW management
can be a significant issue for municipalities. The waste collection, transport and transfer methods depend on the specific
site, waste generated, distribution road network, work force, vehicles, treatment methods, etc. The issue of waste is not
only because of the increasing quantities but also largely because of an inadequate management system [2].
2. STUDY AREA:
The Mysore City is located at 76°12’ (East) longitude and 12°18’ (North) latitude. It is the second largest city in the state
of Karnataka. It was the capital of the former princely state of Mysore and is now a divisional headquarters having a
population of about 9.95 lakhs, as per provisional population table of Mysore 2011. The region lies on the Deccan
plateau, east of the hilly Malenadu region, which includes the eastern foothills of the Western Ghats range. Mysore
region, also known as the Southern Karnataka Plateau, is made up of the low rolling granite hills from 600 to 900 meters
elevation. Mysore is located about 140 km from Bangalore and well connected by rail and road to parts of the state and
the country. The climate of the district is essentially tropical monsoon type, which is a product of the interplay of the two
opposing air masses of the southwest and northeast monsoons.
Table 1: Quantity of MSW generated per day estimated by the Mysore City Corporation
Number Unit generation per day Estimated quantity per
Generator
day (MT)
Population* 9,38,386 360 gram/ capita/ day 338
Commercial Establishments 20,329 1.0 kgs per unit per day 20
Hotels and Restaurants 413 50 kg / unit 21
Marriage and Function halls 124 50 kg / unit 6
Street Sweeping -- -- 17
Total MSW generated per day in MT
(*Includes areas covered beyond MCC limits.) 402
Source: Mysore City Corporation
The total estimated quantity of Municipal Solid waste generated per day in Mysore City is 402MT. The residents of
Mysore City, at an average generates 360 grams of MSW every day which accounts for a total of 338MT. Mysore City has
20,329 commercial establishments generating 20MT of MSW per day. Hotels and Restaurants in Mysore city generate
21MT of MSW at an average per day. 124 Marriage and function halls generate 6MT of MSW per day. Street sweeping
throughout the city accounts for an average 17MT of waste.
3.5 Segregation:
Presently, the wastes generated from households are not segregated at source. Hence, segregation is the most tedious work
for the City Corporation. Around eleven categories of waste collected are segregated and the non-renewable waste is
handed over to rag pickers and waste segregators. Five tonnes per day of non-vegetarian and slaughter wastes are
collected separately by deploying auto tippers & are disposed by deep burial in Kesare. Five tonnes per day of vegetable
and fruits waste from the Market is transported to Pinjrapole Society & fed to stray cattles. Two tonnes per day of kitchen
waste from bulk waste generators such as hotels, hostels, Choultries etc is being used to feed the biogas plant in zoo.
Three acres of land is developed for landfill and is operational since July 2012, about 90-125 TPD of rejects from
Compost plant and Zero Waste Management plant is land filled every day, and at the end of the day, it is covered by soil.
Vidyaranyapuram sewage farm, Gokulam, Kumbar Koppal and Old Kesesre are the functional ZWM plants. Five more
ZWM plants are yet to be started. The MCC has identified a new landfill site in the outskirts of the city due to the rapid
urbanization in the recent years near the present treatment plant. The stench emanating from the mounds of garbage at
the present landfill site is unbearable and posing health hazards to the local residents of the area.
The Horticulture Department has set 0.8 to 1.20 percent as the required standard of Nitrogen in vermin compost. It is
found that the zoo product has 1.51 percent nitrogen. This is beneficial for agriculture, horticulture crops and ornamental
plants. The vermicompost produced by the Zoo met all the standards fixed by the Department of Horticulture.
5. CONCLUSION:
The civic authority is trying hard to maintain its cleanliness but lacks proper government support and infrastructure. It is
been observed that the segregation of different MSW streams is not being practiced in the city. It was further observed
that, despite of weighing the waste everyday at the weighbridge at the dumpsite, the corporation fails to quantify the waste
generated. The quantification is presently based on the estimation of per capita waste generated per day considering an
average for the households, commercial establishments, hotels, restaurants, marriage and community halls. The City
Corporation is not segregating the e-waste from the MSW and is being disposed without proper care.
The current collection and transportation practice involves multiple handling of MSW, which is not in accordance with
the MSW Rules. The road length to be covered per sweeper in street sweeping is about 2.2km per sweeper, which has
resulted in inadequate sweeping of the main roads, while interior roads and bylanes are often left unattended. Lack of
periodic medical checkups for Pourakarmikas and absence of standard accessories/ equipment for street sweeping, has
resulted in Pourakarmikas being exposed to health hazards. A Health Officer is overseeing the MSWM activities.
However, collection & transportation activities are logistics oriented while treatment & disposal activities need an
engineering focus. The waste piled up at the facility is being treated currently while the fresh MSW supplied daily is
being dumped in adjacent areas. The non-biodegradable component of MSW and the rejects from compost facility are
being dumped in the open areas adjacent to the compost facility and sanitary land filling is not being practiced. Despite of
the use of GPS, the authority is unable to provide an optimum route for the transportation of the MSW. The use of GIS
techniques can help improve the fleet management and to select the optimum routes for the transportation of waste.
References:
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AUTHORS:
Mr. Abhilash Rajendra received his M.Sc. degree in GIS from the University of Mysore in the year 2011. He
is presently pursuing his Ph.D in Geographical Information System at the University of Mysore. He has a
teaching experience of three years in the subject of GIS and Remote Sensing.
Dr. Ramu, Assistant Professor at the Department of Geography had received his Ph.D in Geography from the
University of Mysore in the year 2000. He has a teaching experience of more than 17 years. He is specialized in
the field of GIS and Remote Sensing. He started a M.Sc. course in GIS in 2008 at the University of Mysore
through the UGC’s Innovative programme and he is the course coordinator for the same. He is the author for the book
entitled “Participatory Irrigation Management in Karnataka, India” by Henson Editorial Services & North Staffordshire
Press Ltd., UK. He has several National and International research publications