Municipal Solid Waste Management in Nainital

Quest - The Journal Journal of of UGC UGC --ASC ASCNainital Nainital Volume 7, Issue 3, pp 288-295 2, September May 2013,2013, pp. 109-116

Paritosh Sharma

DOI:10.5958/j.2249-0035.7.3.043 10.5958/j.2249-0035.7.2.020 DOI:

Municipal Solid Waste Management in Nainital, Uttarakhand: A of Guerrilla Marketing: The Big Creative and Low Cost Arena Case Study‡ and Marketing Advertising 1 Geeta Tewari , Devyani Bhatt2, Subhash Junne3, Ramakant Mundhe4, Shivaji Parale5 and M.M.V. Baig6*,† Paritosh Sharma

ABSTRACT ABSTRACT Well-organized provision of community services and infrastructure are critical issues for local self-governing organization like municipalities in most developing cities of India. Solid waste hasIt turn outon tochanging be the main Solidstyle Wasteand Management The world of marketing is very dynamic and ever changing. keeps itsconcern. presentation continues (SWM) is expensive and complex forits local self-governing organizations as iteducation is directlybusiness, concerned with health, searching for innovative methodssystem to reach target audience. Advertising is an and its the main task environment quality of life of theproducts, local people. Incorrect waste practices andThe improper solid methods waste disposal is to educateand customers about new offers, services andcollection related information. traditional have can pose serious hazardoccupied, of local disease outbreak, source pollution and greenhouse gases. kept the aentire system busy and costly.water Markets today are changing fast: price-sensitive customers, new

competitors, new distribution channels, new communication channels, the Internet, wireless commerce, globalisation, This paper describes the present scenario of the SWM practices carried out in the Nainital – the most popular hill station in North deregulation, privatisation, etc., the list goes on. It is not only markets that are changing but technologies that support India. It also describes the method and practices followed by the citizen of Nainital, Nainital Muncipal Council and A2Z group them, such as e-commerce, e-mail, mobile phones, fax machines, sales and marketing automation, cable TV, - the organization working for solid waste collection, transportation, treatment and disposal methodology adopted in Nainital. videoconferencing, etc. are also changing. It is imperative that companies think through the revolutionary impact of these new technologies. Keywords: Solid waste management, Nainital, Municipal administration, Environment conservation, Community role in solid waste management This paper highlights the much cheaper style of reaching out to customers. Traditional advertising methods are very

costly for any start-up company. This paper will explain the concept of guerrilla marketing, which experienced increasing importance since more and more businesses cause demand for short-term results. In ofpractice-oriented degradation of solutions the environment in most of the INTRODUCTION times of globalisation, the competitive pressure is high and the free market economy is tough. Marketing has to carry cities in India. In India, most of the local self-governing more and more with tight it is a thin annoying attracting customers. The fastout development of tasks townships andbudgets. urban Thereby areas bodies are line not between able to deal with and increasing quantities of Guerrilla marketing is the real solution to meet this demand of tight budget and right approach. all over the world caused excess utilization of natural

waste that result in stacking of uncollected waste in public resourcesKEYWORDS: resulting in production of tremendous amounts Guerrilla Marketing, Low Cost Advertising, Advertising Expenditures places. This necessitates working for a sustainable waste of domestic waste (Klang et al., 2003). Lack of attention to management system that is associated with environmental, environmental issues in many cities threatens the landfill institutional, financial, economic and social sustainability The Indian economy is passing through in its times. on India for more than a year. Economic growth hit its environment as a hazardous factor (Mohan et bad al., 2006). (Baud et al., 2001). The slump India’s January–March GDP growth weakest pace in 9 years in the quarter ending in March Waste is aninunavoidable product of 2012 human activities. to has sparked alarms calls areofrenewed for 2012. ‘The message is pretty clear,’ said Jim O’Neill, the The5.3% increase in quantity andand complexity waste that AND METHODS urgentgenerated reform measures. industrialand output growth MATERIALS Goldman Sachs economist who first coined the acronym been is a resultIndia’s of urbanization high-living flattened in in urban Aprilareas. 2012,Rapid thus growth piling of pressure on BRIC to describe the world’s leading emerging standards population Qualitative and Qualitative Method and industrialization degrades therevive urbanthe environment policymakers to cut rates and to economic economies. ‘You’d think it was sufficiently clear that andwould qualitative methods were adopted and places stress on natural resources, which Both fortunes of serious the BRIC nation that Standard & Poor’s Indianquantitative policymakers want somehow to respond to during the study. This included field survey, questionnaires weakens rational and sustainable development. Inefficient warned could be downgraded to junk status because of some of these things, but they don’t show any signs of interviews. management and disposal of solid is an political inaction. The country couldwaste become theobvious first of and it,’ he said. the BRIC nations – Brazil, Russia, India and China – to Pounded by a barrage of bad news,College, business groups want 1 Department of Chemistry, D.S.B. Campus, Kumaun University, Nainital, India. 2Department of Hindi, M.B.P.G. Haldwani District, lose its investment grade credit rating. 4 5 Nainital, India. 3Department of Chemistry, Yeshwant Mahavidyalya, Nanded, S, India. Department of English, Department of Marathi, actionM.on long-promised-for measures to encourage 6

Sant Tukaram College, Parbhani, M. S, India. splits Department of Botany, Mahavidyalya, Nanded, M.S, India. High inflation and interest rates, in the top Yeshwant investment. Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) firms *Corresponding Author Email: [email protected] leadership and the Euro zone debt crisis have weighed are tightening their purse strings by controlling ‡ This paper is a culmination of the study and report of Group Project Activity carried out by the authors, and submitted to UGC –ASC, nd Kumaon University, in the Summer School in Environmental Concerns in IndiaMahaveer during 22University, to 11th May 2013. Associate Professor, Nainital College of Management and Computer Applications, Teerthanker Moradabad-UP, India. † All the authors contributed equally. E-mail: [email protected]

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Quest - The Journal of UGC - ASC Nainital 109

Geeta Tewari, Devyani Bhatt, Subhash Junne, Ramakant Mundhe, Shivaji Parale and M. M. V. Baig

Qualitative Method A structured questionnaire was prepared for primary data collection. The questionnaire was used to collect information from the various sections of society viz. households, shopkeepers, service personals, schooling children and collegian. The questionnaire was structured for close-ended questions, where the respondent provided answers to questions asked. Municipality officials and Staff members of A2Z group were interviewed regarding various aspects of waste management services and practices in Nainital.

Questionnaire Design The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions divided into main three aspects – the awareness of citizens towards SWM, the motivation of Nainital citizens toward SWM and the apprehension of Nainital citizens for management of solid waste. The responses were recorded by direct interviewing.

Schedule The case study was undertaken in two phases. Phase I: A questionnaire survey was carried out in the different areas of Nainital i.e. Snow View, Mallital Market, D. S. B. Campus, Hermitage. Further, municipality officials and Staff members of A2Z group were interviewed to collect data regarding waste generation, collection, transfer and disposal. Phase II: On-site field visits and data analysis.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Nainital and the System for Waste Management

Sample Design A total sample of 500 covering 100 schooling children, 100 collegians, 100 servicemen, 100 business men and 100 housewives covering the city of Nainital was carried out.

Sample Size Distribution The proportionate distribution of sample size is as follows: Area

field visits were conducted to observe various aspect of solid waste management in Nainital by the people as well as by the agencies involved. This included the waste collection chain starting from waste generation, collection, transportation, transfer and disposal.

NainitalCity

Population

70000

Sample size

500

Investigators

6

Days required

10

Data Collection and Analysis The data was extracted from the three aspects of questionnaire and analysis was done.

Quantitative Method Secondary data regarding solid waste generation, collection system and disposal methods were collected from Nainital Municipal Corporation and the agency people. On-site Volume 7, Issue 3, September 2013

Nainital district is one of the most preferred hill stations in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand State. It is situated at foothills of the outer Himalayas, at an altitude of 2,084 metres (6,837 ft) above sea level at 29.38°N 79.45°E. Nainital is situated in a valley around the mango-shaped Nainilake. This lake has given Nainital its name (Anonymous, 1908). Nainital has temperate summers, maximum temperature 27°C (81°F); minimum temperature 7°C (45°F) while in the winter, Nainital receives snowfall between December and February with the temperatures varying between a maximum of 15°C (59°F) and a minimum of −3°C (27°F). Nainital had a population of approximately 70000. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Nainital has an average literacy rate of 91%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 98%, and female literacy is 96%. In summers, the population increases more than fivefold with an annual influx of tourists predominantly from the plains of northern India. The overall sex ratio in the sampled households is 915, which is higher than that reported (842) in Census of India 2001. The age groups of 15-44 have highest population for both the sexes (City Development Plan, 2007).

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Municipal Solid Waste Management in Nainital, Uttarakhand: A Case Study

The awareness of environmental degradation among the academics, geologists, concerned citizens and the judiciary alarmed towards the rate of new construction in Nainital and its effect on the Nainilake. This resulted in efforts to ensure prevention of the deterioration of the lake and its surrounding ecosystem. This also initiated the desilting of the lake and afforestation of the catchment area; however, these efforts are not adequate to deal with the rising pressure on its ecosystem. The number of vehicles bringing the tourists to the town is continuously increasing and this could turn Nainital into a disfigured and despoiled town (Wikipedia, 2013). It has been observed that hundreds of fish died in January 2006 in Naini Lake due to low level of oxygen in the hypolimnic layer and it was due to pollution that includes illegal dumping of garbage. This induced citizen’s participation towards the protection of environmental deterioration. The Municipal Council and District Administration have appointed ‘Lake Wardens’ from the civil society to keep an eye on the polluters and started the scheme of ‘Mission Butterfly’ for the solid waste management. The mission was funded by the National Lake Development Authority (NLDA) and implemented by local organisation - Lok Chetna Manch formed in 2008. The project managed waste from households, hotels and restaurants, schools and colleges to its destination. The inclusion of Nainital in Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) led to SWM to the A2Z group, that handles wastes management in 65 cities that are included in JNNURM (Guidelines for Projects JNNURM, 2005). The A2Z group has its biggest single location Integrated Resource Recovery Facility at Kanpur. The business model adopted by the group is private public participation mode with a long term contract for MSW in all the Municipalities included under JNNURM. The basic principle followed for waste disposal is CollectionTransfer-Processing-Disposal-Waste-to-Energy (A2Z group, 2013).

Municipal Solid Waste Generation A great disparity is recorded in the quantity of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation during peak and non290

peak tourist period owing to variation in the number of tourist population. According to the Nainital Municipal Corporation (NMC) estimate, the total daily MSW generation ranges between 22 MT to 28 MT during peak and non-peak tourist seasons (DPR for Conservation and Management Plan of Nainital Lake, 2006). The major sources of MSW generations are domestic, hotels & restaurants, shops and commercial establishments, institutions, fruit and vegetable markets and construction rubbish. Table 1: Composition of solid waste generated in Nainital S. No.

Constituent

Composition %

1

Paper and cardboard

12.41

2

Cloths and rags

4.16

3

Polythene and plastic

4.16

4

Metal

1.14

5

Glass

3.14

6

Wooden waste

1.18

7

Stones

9.12

8

Fruit and vegetable waste

12.15

9

Inert waste

52.54

IIT Roorkee carried out analysis (on fresh weight basis) of MSW composition for NMC given in Table 1. The above result suggests that the city waste has a very high composition of inert matter (52.4%). Recyclable waste contributes about 22% including 4% plastics. Composition of organic substances is only 16% (DPR for Conservation and Management Plan of Nainital Lake, 2006)

COLLECTION, STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION AND SAFE DISPOSAL Solid waste is collected either through community bins/containers and open collection points or by street sweeping. NMC sweepers and sanitary workers sweep up solid wastes from the streets and gather the collected waste into small heaps and subsequently loaded manually or mechanically onto the solid waste transportation vehicles for onward transportation to the disposal site. The collection and transportation system involves multiple handling of solid waste. The solid waste transportation Quest - The Journal of UGC - ASC Nainital


vehicles do not have access to about 40−50% areas and thus these areas remain unattended. A significant part of the waste generated finds its way into the storm water drains and hill slopes. There were 15 handcarts which are mainly used for collection of waste from the mall road. Mohalla Swachhata Samity (MSS) were formed that comprised of group of residents to engage private sweepers for door-to-door primary collection of waste from the area and to keep the area clean. However, these MSS could not perform satisfactorily owing to various reasons. Secondary storage of solid waste was done by means of community containers having capacities of 4.5 m3 and reinforced concrete cement (RCC) bins. Forty two containers and fifteen RCC bins were placed at different locations in the city for secondary storage of solid waste. NMC deployed two Dumper vehicles and one Tipper truck for transportation of solid waste. These three vehicles owned by the NMC transported 60% of the waste everyday (Nainital Muncipal Council report, 2008). The A2Z group became operational for the management of solid waste management in Nainital on 16th October 2012 having it office at Mount Rose Compound, May Villa, Mallital Nainital. The project is for 15 years and having a cost of 9 crore. The operation in the city started with a work force of two supervisors taking care of overall filed operation of the MSW in the city. One Zonal officer, one Accountant, One project head and one nodal head takes cares of all the operation in Nainital. The various actions associated with the management of municipal solid wastes from the point of generation to final disposal are be grouped into the following six functional components: (a) Waste generation; (b) waste handling and sorting, storage and processing at the source; (c) collection; (d) sorting, processing and transformation; (e) transfer and transport; and (f) disposal.

FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF MUNICIPAL SWM IN NAINITAL Waste Generation Waste generation includes all the activities where the materials are identified as no longer being of value in Volume 7, Issue 3, September 2013

their present form and are either thrown away or gathered together for disposal. Waste generation is an activity that is beyond control. This includes the waste generated in the household activities where the waste is collected in special provided bins. The waste generated in the market place are collected and transferred to the special container meant for the collection of waste or the waste is disposed off on roads and pavement, street which then cleaned and collected by the sweeper and transferred to the containers. The door to door waste collection covers an average of 4200 household waste and from local commercial market covering 8 Municipal Wards of city. This includes Upper Mall Road, Mallitaal, Snow View, Sher Ka Danda, Sukhataal, AyyarPata and the groups plans to cover Raj Bhavan area, Tallitaal and Harinagar in the near future.

Waste Handling, Sorting, Storage and Processing at the Source The second component in the solid waste management system includes waste handling, sorting, storage, and processing at the source. Waste handling and sorting involves the activities associated with management of wastes until they are placed in storage containers for collection. Handling also encompasses the movement of loaded containers to the point of collection. Sorting of waste components is an important step in the handling and storage of solid waste at the source. The household are provided with two type of bin of green and white colour. They are meant for the segregation of waste for reuse and recycling at the point of generation as the best place to separate waste materials is at the source of generation. In Nainital, the households are becoming more aware of the importance of separating newspaper and cardboard, bottles/glass, kitchen wastes and ferrous and non-ferrous materials. On-site storage of the waste is most important aspect owing to public health concerns and aesthetic consideration.

Collection The practical aspect of collection includes gathering of solid wastes and recyclable materials and subsequently transport of these materials to the location where the collection vehicle is emptied. This is done in the open space near the NMC ground where the waste container 291


carriers are emptied in the compactor vehicles or the dumper truck.

Sorting, Processing and Transformation of Solid Waste The sorting, processing and transformation of solid waste materials is the next step of practical aspect of SWM. Sorting of composite waste is usually carried out at a materials recovery facility, transfer stations, combustion facilities and disposal sites. But, in the presence scenario, the waste is not segregated at the source and the waste collected is composite and the composite waste is transported at the site of disposal. The biodegradable component MSW is generally transformed by different biological and thermal processes where the most widely used is aerobic composting. The most commonly used thermal transformation process is incineration.

Transfer and Transport The aspect of transfer and transport involves two steps: (i) The transfer of wastes from the smaller collection vehicle to the larger transport equipment and (ii) the subsequent transport of the wastes, usually over long distances, to a processing or disposal site. The transfer usually takes place at a transfer station. The operations are carried out with two TATA Ace vehicles for collecting the waste from different locations and Municipal Wards. The repertoire also includes one compacter and one dumper truck. These operations are carried out by five drivers and fifteen helpers who take cares for supporting activities.

Disposal The final aspect of MSW management system is disposal. Today, the disposal of wastes by landfilling or uncontrolled dumping is the ultimate fate of all solid wastes, whether they are residential wastes collected and transported directly to a Hanumangarhi Landfill site. The A2Z group has proposed new collection site at Krishna Nagar, a landfill site at Narayan Nagar and already planned for recycling plant at Haldwani.

Result of Survey The awareness level of Nainital citizens towards MSW was 44.5%. The result revealed that 90% of school 292

children were aware about the solid waste management followed by the service person in which awareness was 84%. The awareness level among the collegians and businessmen were equal and around 78% while it was 72% with housewives, which was the least among the various section of Nainital community (Figure 1a). The Motivation of Nainital citizens toward management of solid waste was around average 49.2%. Again higher motivation level was recorded with school children with 62% followed by service person and businessman with their 50% motivational level. Closely following them were collegians that shows 48% motivational level and least was recorded with housewives with only 36% motivational level (Figure 1b). The results indicated that the apprehension towards MSW was 82.8%. The apprehension of Nainital citizens for management of solid waste was also collected and responses indicated that 92% of collegians has casted their apprehension about the solid waste management which was highest among the different groups interviewed. It was followed by school students with 86%, service man with 84% and housewives with 82% showing apprehension for management of solid waste,while least apprehension was casted by businessmen was 70% (Figure 1c).

SUGGESTIONS The key concern regarding the MSW Management in Nainital is compliance to the Municipal Solid Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2000. These Rules include the responsibility of municipal authority for solid waste disposal management under Rule 4 and various standards for disposal of treated leachate. The Rules also define various terms like anaerobic digestion, biodegradable digestion, composting, leachate, recycling, schedule and segregation etc. The District Magistrate and Deputy Commissioner shall have the overall responsibility for the enforcement of the provisions under these Rules. The suggested methods for collection, storage, transportation, processing and disposal of MSW of the city need to be improved as suggested. The suggestions for overall improvement in awareness, public participation and management by the agencies involved Quest - The Journal of UGC - ASC Nainital


in management of the MSW are as follows:

(a)

(b)

(c) Figure 1: Pie chart showing various section of community toward solid waste management (a) awareness; (b) motivation; (c) apprehension

Volume 7, Issue 3, September 2013

1. There is lack of awareness among the residents, tourists etc. towards widespread use of polythene and packaging material. This should be stopped completely with immediately effect. 2. Their very poor participation from community, NGOs and private sector and other component of society toward the deterioration of the environment and aesthetics of the city, awareness camps, street shows, and local print, electronic media should be wide employed for this purpose. There is a need of improvement in the primary waste collection by introduction of door-to-door waste collection system to cover the entire city including the slums. The NMC should develop infrastructure like roads to have an access for the waste collection where it is difficult to collect on the terrains. 3. Waste minimization/reduction at source is the most effective way to reduce the quantity of waste, the cost associated with its handling, and its environmental impacts. This should be practised by stakeholders in waste generation and should be encouraged by the implementing agencies. 4. At present, there is no segregation of waste at source, though separate Bins have been provided for the segregation of the biodegradable and nonbiodegradable waste by the citizens. There is need to conduct long term campaign to propagate the concept of segregation of waste at the household level, waste minimization and advocating the method of home composting and dispensation of waste generation habits. 5. A2Z is fairly working for the primary collection of MSW, still some of the waste generated remains unattended. It is expected that that the dry recyclable materials e.g. glass, paper, plastics, cans should be segregated at the house, shops offices, schools, colleges etc. Biological waste and garden, bulky waste, household generated hazardous waste, construction and Demolition waste should be paid special attention. 6. Earlier initiatives of NMC by community involvement and forming MSS for primary collection of waste

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7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

294

did not worked well. The A2Z group’s efforts have successfully involved citizen participation in this regard and that need to reach every section of the society. The waste processing involves alteration of wastes to recover conversion products e.g., compost and energy. The processing of waste materials usually results in the reduced use of landfill capacity. There need to carry out detailed waste quantification and characterization study for scientific and representative assessment of quality and quantity of MSW regularly. The present Solid Waste transportation system though has sufficient vehicles for transportation of waste to the disposal site but still required more to cover the areas which still remain unattended. The waste generated was disposed into open lands, streets, surface drains, hill slopes etc. and sometimes burnt in open causing health hazards, public nuisance and degradation of environment and aesthetics. The existing system has evolved to safe disposal of solid waste at the disposal site, but still need to be improved. The waste transformation for recovery of products or energy should be undertaken to reduce waste volume (e.g. shredding and baling) or to reduce toxicity. The disposal of the solid wastes that cannot be recycled on land and are of no further use and the residual matter after sorting of solid wastes and the residual matter remaining after the recovery of conversion products or energy should be used dumped at landfill sites. The existing solid waste disposal site at Hanumangarhi on Nainital-Haldwani Road should be discontinued for land filling provided that the site is properly developed as a sanitary landfill site. The disposal of MSW is by unscientific method dumping of waste as there is no scientific landfill. The present disposal site is not situated at suitable location. The MSW disposal site should be provided with proper protection like wall or fencing at the disposal site to prevent entry of unauthorized persons, animal and other human interference etc. The treatment and safe disposal of leachate at the waste disposal site should be taken care where it can contaminate the ground water.

14. The non-segregated waste is disposed in the site as it is collected and no processing is done.The disposal of recyclable waste through recyclable waste processing units should be developed by Public Private Partnership. The composting of organic wastes at suitable sites for composting of bio-degradable wastes generated should be carried out. The disposal of segregated inorganic waste for filling of low lands, land fill site, road construction etc. should be encouraged. 15. There is no method of monitoring of pollution level at the disposal site. A proper system should be develop to monitor the pollution at the disposal site, so that the adjoining area is least affected. 16. NMC should prepare a comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan for the Nainital city for the years to come.

CONCLUSION The disposal of MSW is being done by unscientific method i.e. dumping unprocessed waste. The non-segregated waste is disposed-off at the landfill site and no processing is done. The composting of organic wastes at suitable sites for composting of bio-degradable wastes generated should be carried out. The disposal of segregated inorganic waste for filling of low lands, land fill site, road construction etc. should be encouraged. There should be monitoring plan of pollution level at the disposal site. There should be basic infrastructural facilities such as fencing, proper road, office building, and vehicle/equipment shed etc. at the landfill site. People participation in this aspect should be encouraged.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are grateful to Prof. B. L. Sah, Director, UGCAcademic Staff College, Nainital for providing necessary facilities and for his scholarly suggestions for making this work presentable. We are also thankful to Mr. Girish C. Kharkwal, Research scholar, Department of Chemistry, KU, Nainital for his help.

Quest - The Journal of UGC - ASC Nainital


REFERENCES Guidelines for Projects of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, December (2005). A2Z group (http://www.a2zgroup.co.in as accessed on 1st May 2013). Anonymous. (1908). Nainital District, the Imperial Gazetteer of India. Oxford University Press, Oxford and London. pp. 322323. Baud, I. Grafakos, S. Hordijk, M. and Post, J. (2001). ‘Quality of life and alliances in solid waste management: contributions to urban sustainable development’, Cities, Vol. 18, pp. 3-12. DPR for Conservation and Management Plan of Nainital Lake, Master Plan of Nainital the Town and Country Planning Division Office (Kumaon). Integrated Solid waste Management Project for Nainital City, (2010). Ministry of Urban Development, New Delhi. Klang, A. Vikman, P.A. and Bratteb, H. (2003). ‘Sustainable management of demolition waste: An integrated model for the evaluation of environmental, economic and social aspects’, Resources Conservation and Recycling, Vol. 38, pp. 317-334. Mohan, R. Spiby, J. Leonardi, G. S. Robins, A. and Jeffereis, S. (2006). ‘Sustainable waste management in the UK: the public health role’, Public Health, Vol. 120, pp. 908-914. Municipal Solid Wastes (Management & Handling) Rules, (2000). Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi. The Environment (Protection) Act (1986). Ministry of Environment and Forest, New Delhi. City Development Plan: Nainital Revised Under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) Urban Development Department Government of Uttarakhand. (2007).

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