Benefits Of Health And Environment Of Waste Management In India
In this article I have discussed about importance of some important methods of waste management in all the municipal areas of populous Indian states in view of rapid industrialization and accumulations of home and industrial waste. Regulatory control and disposal of such waste can ly be handled scientifically through recycling and energy recovery.
Introduction
In our older days India's population was less. Peoples had to depend on natural resources like agricultural food products and cotton based garments etc for their livelihood. All such products and wastes are bio-degradable having no adverse affect on human life.
After independence India had to undergo rapid industrialization by taking massive program during all the five-year plans under Planning Commission of India in view of overall country's development and employment generation.
In present scenario populations in India have increased in three folds in parallel to modernization and economic advancement. The demands of human food consumptions and use of utilities are increasing day by day leading huge volume of non biodegradable wastes polluting our civic life.
Such non biodegradable human wastes are responsible for air and water pollution spreading many air and water borne diseases in densely populated cities and urban areas. Different types of mosquitoes and bacteria grow in multiples on stagnant wastes leading to many diseases such as malaria, cholera, bronchial disorder, plague, chikungunya etc killing many human lives in each year.
Government of India have formed local municipal corporations in all the states in order to start waste management and extend health services to public in residential as well as industrial areas.
Waste Management is new concept now a days. With improved infrastructure in all municipal corporations and rural civic bodies huge garbage of wastes are being recycled producing electricity for supply to rural areas.What is meant by waste management?
Waste management can be defined as the process of collection of waste products in a particular place, transporting the waste garbage in remote places for processing of new usable products like natural manures and electricity benefiting human society at large.Why waste management is important?
If the wastes are not timely and properly by the civic bodies in densely populated areas then many serious health hazardous infectious diseases will spread over the local areas. Slid wastes like indiscriminate use of non biodegradable plastic shopping bags may cause choking of waste sewage systems and also have many ill effects of human lives.
There many health hazards associated with decomposed human wares which are categorically explained as below:Infectious diseases
•In case of direct contact while handling decomposed wastes there will be chance of skin diseases.
•If there is any wounds in hands, legs or any part of the body many bacteria and poisonous substances will enter through wounds and contaminate blood and other body organs.
•Contaminated waste dust may cause eye infection and damage to vision.
•Direct exposure to decomposed garbage may cause respiratory problem and infection to lungs.
•Different types killer bacteria grown in the garbage will be carried by flies infecting your foodstuff and drinking water.
•Animal feeding of waste products may result serious infection in their body. Animal bites can cause high risk of human life.
Chronic diseases
•Burning or incineration of garbage containing many injurious and hazardous chemical compounds may cause chronic respiratory diseases, lung cancer from direct exposure.What are the methods of waste management?
In order to avoid occupational hazards in direct handling and disposal of waste products integrated waste management has been introduced in all municipal bodies in Indian states.
Various methods and techniques of waste management are discussed below:
Composting of organic home waste
Waste products from kitchen room and garden can be collected in a separate place and allowed to decompose for some days which can be used as organic manure for plants in your garden.
Land filling of waste
This is one of the most traditional and inexpensive methods of waste management being practiced in rural areas through out Indian regions. The non toxic organic wastes are disposed and dumped in remote and abandoned places far away from the residential areas for natural decomposition.
Incineration process of waste
Toxic and other hazardous chemical solid wastes like plastic and polythene can be burnt in electrically operated incinerator with high temperature to avoid emit of harmful pollutants affecting human bodies and environment.
Recycling, sustainability and energy recovery
Recycling is the most useful and effective technique to reuse of waste materials like empty glass, plastic, metallic or polythene containers. In this method all these abandoned empty containers are collected and sorted and treated through mechanical reprocessing for utilizing as fuel in electrical power generation.
Waste management is one of the criteria for business sustainability as per ISO accreditation to protect environment by improving waste disposal with modern recycling procedures.
In manufacturing industry waste products like electronic wastes, plastic/polythene containers, food waste, residues of cardboard and papers are recycled in a separately installed plant in the factory premises for energy recovery and reuse such waste products as fuel to run their owned electrical power plant supplying electricity in all electrical equipments and accessories in the manufacturing units.
Energy recovered from non toxic factory wastes can also be used as fuel for boilers as well as cooking purposes in employees kitchen oven.Conclusion
Government of India should allocate sufficient funds in annual budget towards development of modern infrastructure in waste management for prevent health and environmental hazards.
In my opinion we can replenish some shortage of agricultural nature manures and fuel energy through recycling and energy recovery from huge amount of wastes which are accumulated regularly.