A Case Study On Solid Waste Disposal Site In Kokrajhar Town (Assam)

Abstract

Solid waste management (SWM) is a global phenomenon. It is a big challenge all over the world for human beings. The problem of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is one of the current issue which is has to be tackle in scientific way. More than 29 million tons of municipal Solid waste (MSW) is produced every year in India [1] and According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) an average of about 490 gm of waste is produced per person per day in India [2]. Most of the solid wastes are disposed of by land filling in low-laying areas located in and around the urban centers. The landfill gas generated from the MSW is entered into the atmosphere which may be one of the reasons of global warming. Most of the constituents of MSW landfill gas are methane and carbon dioxide [2] which are premier greenhouse gases (GHG), ground and surface water contamination by the leachate generated by the waste dump, generation of inflammable gas within the waste dump and outbreak of epidemics. With the population of approx. 9 lakhs the Kokrajhar town generates huge quantities of solid waste per year, which is directly disposed in the land fill site without any segregation It is to be noted that there is no proper recycling and treatment plant for solid waste generated in the town of Kokrajhar.The study is mainly focus on the present scenario of municipal solid waste disposal of Kokrajhar town with snapshot and discuss the effects of dumping of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in the vicinity by individual field visit. The study reveals that the present system of MSWM in Kokrajhar town is not satisfactory based on Municipal Solid Waste (Management & Handling) Rules 2000.