518089
research-article2014
WMR0010.1177/0734242X13518089Waste Management & ResearchBhat et al.
Short Report
Municipal solid waste generation rates and its management at Yusmarg forest ecosystem, a tourist resort in Kashmir
Waste Management & Research 2014, Vol. 32(2) 165–169 © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0734242X13518089 wmr.sagepub.com
Rouf Ahmad Bhat, Rumisa Nazir, Samia Ashraf, Mudasir Ali, Suhaib A Bandh and Azra N Kamili
Abstract The present study was carried out at Yusmarg, a forest ecosystem and tourist resort, in the Kashmir valley during 2012 with the objectives of determining the municipal solid waste (MSW) generation rates per capita and on a daily basis, and assessing the existing MSW system. It was estimated that daily generation of MSW at Yusmarg by tourists, as well as residents, was 107.74 kg; on average, the MSW generated at each site was about 36.48 kg/day. The per capita generation of MSW was highest (0.97 kg/person/day) at site 1 followed by 0.288 kg/person/day at site 2 and 0.201 kg/person/day at site 3, with an average per capita MSW generation rate of 0.484 kg/person/day. Manual segregation of the collected wastes showed that it comprised some recyclable, combustible, compostable and inert materials. Among the different waste categories, 56% of waste was recyclable materials, 29% was compostable wastes, 9% was combustible wastes and 6% was inert materials. The present study infers that MSW management in Yusmarg was inappropriate, and infrastructure, skilled manpower and a proper scientific disposal mechanism is lacking in the area. In order to conserve the forest wealth of the area there is a great need to focus on the solid waste problem of the tourist resort. Keywords Municipal solid waste, combustible, composting, Yusmarg, forest ecosystem
Introduction Human activities create waste, and the increasing scale of economic conditions has led to a sharp increase in the quantity of waste generation. The way these wastes are handled, collected, stored and disposed off can pose risks to the environment and to public health (Zurbrugg, 2002). The environment has a limited capacity of waste assimilation. If too much waste enters the environment, its assimilative capacity is put under stress. This results in pollution and resource degradation (Turner,1991). Ecological effects such as land degradation, water and air pollution, are related to improper management of municipal solid waste (MSW) (Khajuria et al., 2008).
Material and methods Study area Yusmarg—situated at an altitude of about 2743 m above sea level, lying in the Budgam District of Jammu and Kashmir state—is a small, idyllic meadow set in the heart of mountains to the South West of Srinagar. It is a developing tourist destination and lies in the district Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir, 47 km from the city of Srinagar in Kashmir (Figure 1). It encompasses meadows surrounded by pine trees and snow-capped mountains. The climate remains pleasant during summer, and the winters are very
cold. The objectives of the study carried out in this area were to determine the rate of MSW generation on a per capita and daily basis, as well as to assess the existing MSW management system.
Study sites Three study sites, shown in Figure 1, were selected to assess the current scenario of solid waste generation in the area. Site 1 was the Yusmarg Bowl, lying between the geographical coordinates of 33° 49’ 46.98”N latitude, 74° 39’ 54.62”E longitude, comprises an area of approximately 0.152 km2. It is the main commercial hub, with some shops, restaurants, hotels and a paramilitary base camp. These shops, restaurants and hotels remain active seasonally with the fewest activities taking place in winter and most taking place in summer. There is a fenced park where most of the tourist-related activities take place. The wastes Department of Environmental Science, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India Corresponding author: Rouf Ahmad Bhat, Department of Environmental Science, University of Kashmir, Srinagar-190006, India. Email:
[email protected]
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generated here are disposed of in an open meadow by means of traditional burning. Site 2, lying between the geographical coordinates of 33° 50’ 17.8”N latitude, 74° 39’ 35.0”E longitude, comprises an area of about 0.304 km2. It is located near Doodh Ganga River, with only a few temporary restaurants (known locally as ‘Dabas’). Site 3, the village of Yusmarg, is situated between the geographical coordinates of 33° 44’ 48.28”N latitude and 74° 41’ 46.63”E longitude, and comprises an area of approximately 0.041 km2. The village consists of 40 households with the Gujjar population mainly consisting of shepherds, pony-wallas and wood-cutters.
Methods Wastes were collected from dustbins, established in the area by the Yusmarg Development Authority (YDA), after 24 h and weighed on the spot as per the methods of Gaxiola et al. (1995), Rampal et al. (2002) and Benitez et al. (2003). For the collection of waste generated from the houses, shops, hotels and restaurants selected for the present study, polythene bags with a capacity of 5 kg were provided at 9:00 a.m. to each household, shopkeeper and hotel owner. The bags were collected the next day at 9:00 a.m., thus helping us to assess the amount of waste generated from these units in 24 h. Samples of the generated waste were collected from all sampling areas once a day at a fixed time for eight consecutive days. This was done because seasons may affect the composition, quantity and peak days of solid waste production (World Health Organization, 1996; Thanh et al., 2010). To investigate the generation of MSW the samples collected were manually sorted and segregated into compostable, recyclable, combustible and inert categories. The tourist record was also be recorded during sampling periods.
Results and discussion The results revealed that the maximum amount of MSW (72.93 kg/day) was generated at the Yusmarg bowl (site 1), followed by generation of 28.75 kg/day of waste at the village of Yusmarg village (site 3). However, the lowest amount of solid waste generated on a daily basis was 6.06 kg observed at site 3, located adjacent to the Doodhganga river (Table 1). MSW produced at these sites comprised of different categories of wastes, including food waste, cardboard, paper, glass, metals, polythene, bones, cloth rags, ceramics, wooden chips, leather pieces, rubber and plastic articles, and some inert materials. This could be attributed to the buying of foodstuffs readily available in polythene, glass, plastic bottles and cardboard boxes by tourists visiting this area (Bhat et al., 2013). Jain and Kuniyal (1994) observed that tourist inflow significantly adds to the demands on resource base and contributes considerably to the quality and quantity of MSW generated. Among all the categories of waste, the amount of food waste was
Figure 1. Satellite image of the study area (Yusmarg) and study sites.
Table 1. Municipal solid waste generation (kg/day) at Yusmarg during 2012. Waste items
Food waste Cardboard Glass Paper Metals Bones Polythene Cloth rags Textiles Ceramics Wooden chips Leather and rubber Plastic Inert Total
Site 1
Site 2
Site 3
Total
Average
(kg/day)
(kg/day)
(kg/day)
(kg/day)
kg/day/site
2.120 4.360 1.900 0.800 3.120 3.600 1.120 2.200 2.800 1.900 0.917 0.800 2.100 1.010 28.750
31.56 13.67 6.70 1.53 6.36 4.42 10.83 3.11 4.53 3.92 10.45 1.68 7.94 2.60 107.74
10.52 4.50 2.33 0.51 2.12 1.47 3.61 1.04 1.51 1.31 3.48 0.56 2.65 0.87 36.48
26.72 9.21 4.57 0.60 2.43 0.82 9.45 0.71 1.28 1.92 8.03 0.88 4.72 1.59 72.93
2.72 0.1 0.23 0.09 0.80 0 0.26 0.20 0.45 0.10 0 0 1.11 0 6.06
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Bhat et al. Table 2. Estimated municipal solid waste generation (kg/person/day) at Yusmarg, 2012. Waste items
Food waste Cardboard Glass Paper Metals Bones and egg shells Polythene Cloth rags Textiles Ceramics Wooden chips Leather and rubber Plastic Inert Total
Site 1
Site 2
Site 3
Average
Net weight kg/person/day
Net weight kg/person/day
Net weight kg/person/day
Net weight kg/person/day
0.370 0.133 0.079 0.013 0.026 0.018 0.072 0.011 0.023 0.022 0.093 0.008 0.076 0.026 0.970
0.014 0.030 0.013 0.005 0.030 0.024 0.007 0.015 0.019 0.012 0.006 0.005 0.014 0.007 0.201
0.130 0.005 0.011 0.004 0.038 0 0.012 0.010 0.011 0.005 0.011 0 0.052 0 0.288
0.171 0.056 0.034 0.007 0.031 0.014 0.030 0.012 0.017 0.013 0.036 0.004 0.047 0.011 0.484
highest (31.56 kg/day), followed by cardboard (13.67 kg/day), polythene (10.83 kg/day), wooden chips (10.45 kg/day) and all other types of waste at all three study sites (Table 1). As already described, site 1 has tourist huts, hotels-cum-restaurants and a huge military base camp. The highest production of MSW at this site can be attributed to commercial, tourist and other related activities taking place here. Furthermore, the follow up done at site 3 in terms of MSW generation can be related to the lifesustaining domestic and agricultural activities taking place here. This site is a residential hamlet of some 40 households, so the day-to-day activities involving some minor commercial activities and major agricultural activities are the major contributors to MSW at this site. The low amount of MSW seen at site 2 could be attributed to its remote location, as it is located a good distance from the main Yousmarg bowl, with a narrow and risky passage through the hilly terrain. Therefore, most tourists never reach this particular site; however, of the production of MSW at this site can be related to the activities of locals who visit the area to graze their animals. Our results are in agreement with the results of Agumuthu et al. (2007), who showed that in most developing countries the highest percentage (40–70%) of MSW consists of organic matter, which is able to retain a high moisture content. The overall generation of MSW by the activities of residents, tourists and military personnel on a daily basis from the whole area under consideration by tourists and residents was estimated at be about 107.74 kg during peak tourist season. This can be attributed to the heavy influx of local, national and foreign tourists, as the results are in agreement with the results of Bhat et al. (2013). However, the average generation potential of the different study sites was estimated to be 36.48 kg/day. Food waste was the major source of MSW generation in Yusmarg (72.93 kg/day) at site 1 followed by site 3 (28.75 kg/ day) (Table 1). Site 1 is a commercial area (market) with tourist huts, hotels-cum-restaurants and a huge military base camp in its
vicinity. A considerable amount of waste, especially organic in nature, is generated through tourism-related activities. Most developing countries a have high percentage (40–70%) of organic matter with a high moisture content in MSW, which make it unsuitable for incineration (Agumuthu et al., 2007). Glass, cardboard, polythene and plastics were found to be the major constituents of MSW generated by tourists. The reason could be the buying of foodstuffs readily available to them in polythene, glass, plastic bottles, and cardboard boxes. Jain and Kuniyal (1994) have observed that tourist inflow adds significantly to the demands on the resource base and contribute considerably to the amount of MSW generated. Site 3 comprised a residential area with approximately 40 households. The generation of solid waste at this site was second highest, after site 1, with the reason being the life-sustaining activities of food consumption, the construction of new houses, agricultural activities, commerce and the selling of goods by grocers. The MSW generation on a daily basis at Yusmarg by tourists and residents was estimated to be about 107.74 kg during the peak tourist season. The average solid waste generation per site was about 36.48 kg/day. The per capita generation of MSW (Table 2) at site 1 was, again, highest (0.97 kg/person/day) followed by 0.288 kg/person/ day at site 2 and 0.201 kg/person/day at site 3. In this regard it is pertinent to mention here that, as per the official records of the YDA, during the peak tourist season a total of 250 tourists visit the spot on a daily basis, resulting in the highest per capita generation at site 1 and comparable generation rates at sites 2 and 3. From the current observation it was further estimated that if MSW generation continues at the same rate the amount of solid waste generated annually from the Yusmarg health resort will be 43.56 tons. To investigate the generation of MSW, the samples collected were manually sorted and segregated into compostable, recyclable, combustible (fuel) and inert categories. The data (Figure 2)
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Waste Management & Research 32(2) Segregation. Segregation of solid waste at the point of generation was found poor. The reason could be the lack of separate dustbins to cater for different categories of waste, awareness and motivation.
INERT 6%
COMBUSTIBLE 9%
COMPOSTABLE 29%
RECYCLABLE 56%
Figure 2. Composition of waste.
revealed that a maximum of 56% wastes were recyclable, including plastic, polythene, glass, cardboard, paper, etc. Compostable wastes constituted most of the waste (29%), followed by combustible wastes (9%) and inert materials (6%). The presence of recyclable materials like plastic, glass, paper and cardboard-like materials in the MSW generated in the area could be due to the excessive use of plastic items (e.g. tea cups, plates, spoons, water bottles, juice bottles, soft-drink bottles and polythene bags) by tourists, the presence of a paramilitary base camp, and touristrelated and other commercial activities. The results are in agreement with the findings of many other studies (Gupta et al., 1998; Jain and Kuniyal, 1994; Ling et al.,1991; Patil et al.,1985) that have carried out similar investigations throughout the world. The total average MSW generated per capita per day from all the study sites was around 0.484 kg (Table 2).It has been estimated that, on average, about 250 tourists visit this resort daily (seasonally), and about 90 tons of MSW is generated by tourists annually. Being an underdeveloped resort, the figure is expected to increase in future, which could result in a bigger impact on regional ecology. Twentynine percent of the waste was found to be organic in nature (Figure 2) Therefore, composting is a better scientific option. Recyclable waste, including plastic, polythene, glass, cardboard, paper, and so on, made the largest contribution to the waste stream (56%). Current trends of collection transportation and disposal of MSW generated at the study sites is collected and transported by means of traditional handcarts that carry small quantities from the collection spots to the disposal sites in the nearby forest, where the waste is dumped illegally. This unscientific disposal of MSW in the forest ecosystem is thus becoming the biggest threat to this fragile ecosystem. As the spot is in the preliminary stages of development, no regular supervision system for solid waste collection, transportation or proper disposal is in place. Lack of proper equipment and awareness of the workers aggravates the problem as they often burn the combustible solid wastes collected from the study sites in the forest area, thus contributing to the poor management of solid wastes.
Current waste management practices at Yusmarg Generation. About 107.74 kg/day of MSW is produced by hoteliers, tourists and other commercial activities, and, on average, 0.484 kg/day/person of waste is generated.
Storage. The provision of an adequate number of waste bins around the entire tourist resort was strongly felt. As a result of this inadequacy, littering has turned an aesthetically pleasing place into a nuisance. Collection and transportation. The collection and transportation is apparently inadequate. The operator collects transports and disposes of the waste regularly. The waste was found to be collected through traditional handcarts that carry small quantity of waste for temporary storage mostly on the ground in an open place near the forest edge. The lack of proper equipment, manpower and awareness contribute to the poor management of solid wastes. No regular supervision system was observed to be in place. Waste disposal site: Technique of managing solid waste. One of the biggest threats of solid waste related to the fragile ecosystem is unscientific waste disposal. At present, waste is being dumped illegally in the nearby forest, and chokes drains, defaces the roads, and so on. Animals were found littering the waste. Lack of basic amenities resulted in crude disposal of waste. The only treatment applied to the waste was traditional burning in the open forest. Recommendations. In order to achieve an effective and sustainable MSW management system in Yusmarg, the following suggestions for the management of MSW are put forward: 1. Encouragement of the citizens, through awareness programs, to segregate, recycle and reuse 2. Impose segregation practices that will result in a clean solid waste stream 3. Maintain storage facilities in a hygienic manner 4. Prohibit littering of MSW.
Conclusion The study showed that the current scenario of MSW in the Yusmarg—a forest ecosystem and health resort in the Kashmir valley—is due to open dumping practices undertaken by residents, tourists, shopkeepers and hoteliers, and the problem is growing year on year at an alarming rate. Reliable estimates of solid waste generation along with estimation of their physical and chemical characteristics are very important for designing appropriate waste treatment, disposal and management strategies. These insights into generated waste management practice at the Yusmarg health resort make it possible to put forward suggestions for improved collection and disposal methods. The current need is to focus more on treatment systems involving recycling, composting and recovery options.
Bhat et al. Acknowledgements We extend our appreciation to the YDA, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, residents, tourists, shopkeepers, and hoteliers for cooperating with the researchers during data collection.
Declaration of conflicting interests The authors do not have any potential conflicts of interest to declare.
Funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
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