A SOCIO-GEOGRAPHICAL STUDY OF SOLID AND LIQUID WASTE

MANAGEMENT IN KOTKPURA CITY.

Chapter 1: Introduction

1. Introduction: Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) directly impact human

health and have far reaching consequences when ignored. India is one of the
fastest developing economies, but when it comes to WASH indicators, it
continues to lag behind. With a population of over 1.2 billion, there is a
mounting and urgent need to address sanitation. Solid and Liquid Waste
Management (SLWM) is one of the key components of Swachh Bharat
Mission (SBM) (G), launched with the objective of bringing improvement in
cleanliness, hygiene and the general quality of life (Annonymous, 2013).

1.1 Solid waste: are any unwanted and useless solid materials generated from
different domestic, trade, commercial, agricultural and industrial activities. It
refers to any garbage, rubbish, sludge and other rejected solid and semi-solid
materials obtained from different industrial, commercial, household or other
activities. These are non-liquid and non-gaseous wastes (durable goods, non-
durable goods, containers and packaging, food scraps, yard trimmings,
miscellaneous inorganic wastes, construction waste etc. The term solid waste
usually includes-Garbage: Includes food waste and other degradable organic
wastes-Rubbish: Includes combustible and non-combustible solid wastes,
except food waste-Refuse: Includes both garbage and rubbish-Litters:
Includes paper bits, discarded wrappings, bottles etc (Adhikari, 2018).

1.2 Liquid waste: liquid waste is all waste that exists as a liquid rather than
either a gas or a solid. Since the term encompasses all waste in liquid form, it
includes both waste produced as a liquid and waste that has been converted
into a liquid for handling. Similarly, it includes both liquid waste that emerges
from a single source such as industrial wastes being pumped out through
pipes and liquid waste that has no single source such as run-off caused by
rainfall (John, 2012). Other common examples of liquid waste include both
human and animal excreta plus household wastewater coming from bathing,
dishwashing, and a range of other domestic activities.

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 Figure 1.1: Types of Waste

Source: Water and Sanitation Programme, 2013

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1.3 Manual Scavenging: Scavenging is the practice of manual cleaning of human
excreta from service/ dry latrines. The scavengers crawl into the dry latrines
and collect the human excreta with their bare hands, carry it as head-load in a
container to dispose it off.
A caste based and hereditary profession, which is handed down, as a legacy
from one generation to the next; “manual scavenging” has been an age-old
routine for this community, which is untouched by technological advancement
in sanitary practices (Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, 2017).
Not only does the prevalence of this culture seem antediluvian, but what is
worse is the fact that those born in this community are considered agents of
pollution due to their background of social hierarchy, based on birth. They are
the most oppressed and suppressed class of Indian society – hated,
ostracized, vilified and avoided by all other castes and classes. The appalling
hardship, humiliation and exploitation they face, have no parallel in human
history. The practice started in the Pauranic period continued in the Buddhist,
Mauryan, Mughal and British periods.
The scavenger has to bend forward into the narrow space to clean excreta
from the toilet antechambers. In latrines, which have no receptacles, human
excreta drops directly on the floor, which, with passage of time, wears the
brickwork that becomes patchy and uneven. In most cases, the sidewalls are
also without cement plaster; with the result, the excreta get stuck up
everywhere on the sidewalls and also on the floor. The scavenger, while
cleaning, has to scratch the floor and sidewalls to do maximum cleaning. It is
a common sight to see scavengers, mostly women, moving with excreta on
the head, stored in bamboo-baskets, or in leaking drums, with the muck
trickling down over face and body. Passers-by avoid such persons. If a
scavenger comes in close proximity, he or she is showered with a hail of
abuse. In many places, latrines are so constructed that the users do not even
see their own excreta. They simply squat, perform, and go away without even
caring to know who cleans their toilets. No human degradation could be more
cruel and inhuman than the one suffered by scavengers.

2. Waste management Practices in India: There is an evidence of the

existence of toilets with a water seal in the civilizations of Harappa and
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Mohenjo-daro. These cities had toilets which were connected to an
underground system lines with burnt clay bricks.
The practice of manual scavenging in India dates back to ancient time.
According to contents of sacred scriptures and other literature, scavenging by
some specific caste of India exist since the beginning of civilization. One of the
15 duties of slaves enumerated in Naradiya Samhita was of manual
scavenging. This continued during the Buddhist and Mauraya period also. In
India, Jahangir built a public toilet at Alwar, 120 km away from Delhi for 100
families in 1556 AD. Not much documentary evidence exists about its
maintenance. Scholars have suggested that the Mughal women with purdah
required enclosed toilets that needed to be scavenged. It is pointed out that
the bhangis share some of the clan names with Rajputs, and propose that the
bhangis are descendants of those captured in wars. There are many legends
about the origin of bhangis, who have traditionally served as manual
scavengers. One of them, associated with Lal Beg bhangis describes the
origin of bhangis from Mehtar. The scavenging castes which were known by
different names in different states like Bhangi, Balmiki, Chuhra, Mehtar,
Mazhabi, Lal Begi, Halalkhor etc. in northern India; Har, Hadi, Hela, Dom and
Sanei etc., in eastern India; Mukhiyar, Thoti, Chachati, Pakay, Relli etc., in
Southern India; and Mehtar, Bhangias, Halalkhor, Ghasi, Olgana, Zadmalli,
Barvashia, Metariya, Jamphoda and Mela etc., in western and central India,
also made an effort to get united and have a common name (Kalyani, 2017).
In 1911 census some of them started returning as Adi Dharmi, Adi Dravida,
Adi Karnataka and Adi Andhra. Municipal record from 1870 show that the
British Organization municipalities in India which built roads, Park, Public,
toilets etc. The British administrators organized systems for removing the fecal
sludge and employed bhangis.

3. Solid and Liquid waste Management in Punjab: All the Urban Local
Bodies have selected suitable sites for dumping of their Municipal Solid
Waste. There are only two ULBs where Municipal Solid Wastes
management plants are operational. One is M/s Punjab Grow more
Fertilizers P Ltd., Jalandhar under the jurisdiction of Municipal Corporation,
Jalandhar has re-commissioned its plant for processing the MSW. And the
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other Solid Waste Management project falling under the revenue area of
Municipal Council, Sham Churasi at village Pandori Methma is in operation
since February, 2009 and is catering to Adampur Air Force Station; MC,
Adampur; and MC, Alawalpur and MC, Sham Churasi successfully. This
project had been developed by National Building Construction Corporation,
New Delhi under New Central Sector Scheme of Solid Waste Management
& Drainage in 10 selected air fields towns (Adampur Air Base).
The State of Punjab has already taken steps for treatment of MSW and has
divided the State into 8 clusters for setting up of Integrated Municipal Solid
Waste Management Plants at Ludhiana, Pathankot, Amritsar, Jalandhar,
Bathinda, Patiala, Mohali and Ferozpur. As per the State level Master Plan
these eight Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) cluster projects have been
developed under PPP mode for a concession period of 25 years. Each
Project includes door-to-door collection of MSW from all towns/cities of the
state, transportation of MSW, processing and scientific disposal in the
common engineered landfill facilities to be developed in each MSW cluster.
The wastes from each ULB will be disposed off to its area cluster sites
through transfer points (Punjab Pollution COntrol Board, 2016). The land
for each project site has been finalized and Punjab Pollution Control Board
has issued authorization under Municipal Solid Waste (Management &
Handling) Rules, 2000 for setting up of Integrated Municipal Solid Waste
Management Plants. However each cluster site is required to have
Environmental Clearance under Govt. of India EIA notification 14.09.2006.
The four no. cluster sites i.e. at Mohali, Bathinda, Ludhiana and Jalandhar
have already been granted this Environmental Clearance, whereas the
clearance of the remaining four sites is in process.
Bathinda Cluster includes total 16 Urban Local Bodies. Project was
awarded to consortium of M/s. JITF Urban Infrastructure Limited, New Delhi
(JINDAL Group); and M/s Ladurner Impainti s.r.l., Italy in Nov.,2011; 20
acres Municipal Land at Mansa Road Bathinda is handed over to the
Bidder i.e. M/s JITF Ltd. Another site measuring 36.8 acres at Mandi Khurd
for SLF is also under litigation since 2012 and the case is pending with
Punjab and Haryana High Court. The construction of plant could not be
started as an Appeal no. 70 of 2013 Mal Singh V/s State of Punjab is
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 pending with Hon'ble NGT since March 2013. Collection and transportation
of MSW is operational since Jan, 2012.The Project has got the requisite
EIA Clearances from SEAC.Phase-I: RDF & Compost Plant would be
constructed within one year from the date of decision of Hon'ble NGT in
Appeal no. 70/13. Phase-II, WTE Plant would be constructed within one
year afterwards (Punjab Pollution COntrol Board, 2016).

4. Research Problem: Government has taken many initiatives to improve the

waste management practices in Punjab but the conditions of Kotkapura
have not improved.

5. Research Questions:
1. What are the status of Solid and Liquid Waste Management in
Kotkapura Town?
2. Are there the incidences of Manual Scavenging in Kotkapura Town of
Punjab?
3. What are the major government plans to improve the waste
management in Kotkapura Town?

6. Objectives:
1. To Study the Solid and Liquid waste management Practices in
Kotkapura Town.
2. To study the working conditions of workers engaged in solid and liquid
waste management in Kotkapura Town.
3. To Study the Government Policies to improve the Solid and Liquid
waste Management.

7. Research Methodology: To meet the objectives of the study, primary as

well as secondary sources has been used to collect information and
required data.
7.1 Secondary Source: The data regarding solid and liquid waste
management practices in India has been extracted from various
websites including Down to Earth, Youth ki Awaz, Safai Karmchari and
other government websites. The status of working conditions of workers
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 in India, engaged in waste management has been analysed by
exploring various journals, books, articles, news-papers and websites.
7.2 Primary Sources: To collect the data for Kotkapura town, Primary
Survey has been conducted in March 2019. Primary Data has been
collected by two methods:
7.2.1 Check List: Check list is the method of field observation. To
observe the conditions of each and every ward of the town, a
check list consisting of 10 observational questions has been
prepared (Annexure 1). In March 2019, total 29 wards of
Kotkapura town were observed and data has been collected
through check list.
7.2.2 Personal Interviews: The working conditions of the workers can
be analysed by personal meet with them. To complete the social
objective of the study, personal interviews were organized in
March-April 2019. The mode of discussion during interview was
Punjabi language. The interviews were recorded using voice
recorder app of Motorola Mobile Phone. Total four interviews
were conducted; two workers of solid waste and two workers of
liquid waste management in Kotkapura.

8. Area of Study: Kotkapura is located in Malwa Region of southern parts of

Punjab. It extends from 30°-29´-40˝ Ń to 30°-39´-18˝N latitude and 74°-44´-
30˝E to 74°- 58´-32˝E longitude. Its hinterland is fertile and rich agricultural
land. It has a good regional connectivity by railway lines with Bathinda,
Ferozepur and Fazilka. The highway network also provides road linkages to
important cities of Punjab and adjoining states, however there is no airport
close to the town (Town and Country Planning Department, 2011). The
regional road network of Kotkapura comprises one National Highway i.e.
N.H.15 from Bathinda to Faridkot and one State Highway from Moga to
Muktsar. The Right of Way (R.O.W.) of these roads outside municipal areas
varies between 20 to 40 meters and the effective carriage way ranges
between 7 metre to 10 metre. Kotkapura is a railway junction where railway
lines from three sides converge.

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8.1 History: The town of Kotkapura does not have deep historical roots
and has its origin hardly 350 years back. Kotkapura was founded in the
year of 1651 by Chaudhari Kapura (Kapoor Singh for that was his name he
had been baptized) one of the fore–fathers of the princely ruling family of
Faridkot State. The foundation of this town was made at the suggestion of a
famous Hindu ascetic; Bhai Gurdas.This town enjoyed the status of one of
the four parganas of Faridkot State and later declared to be tehsil during
the reign of Raja Wajir Singh. During British period Bathinda–Ferozpur
railway line and Kotkapura- Fazilka railway lines were laid in this town
during 1890’s and later several cotton industries came up in early 20th
century. In 1948 Kotkapura became a municipal town for the first time, after
this, several development activities like establishment of Oil Depot in 1959-
60, Industrial Focal Point in 1979 and New Grain Market in 1986 came into
existence in Kotkapura (Town and Country Planning Department, 2011).
8.3 Demographic Conditions: The population of LPA Kotkapura was
142767 persons in 2001 which recorded a decadal growth rate of 21.30%
during 1991-2001. The average gross population density of Kotkapura town
is 32.65(2001) per hectare. However ward wise density varies
considerably. The highest and lowest being about 366 persons per hectare
and about 15 persons per hectare respectively. The low gross density is
due to the large vacant area included in some wards. The workforce
participation rate of LPA Kotkapura is 34.79% and that of Kotkapura town is
32.18%. The main sectors providing employment in Kotkapura town are
other services (89.95%), agricultural labourers and cultivators (6.34%) and
house hold industries (3.71%) (Town and Country Planning Department,
2011).
8.4 Geographical Conditions: The district of Faridkot as well as
Kotkapura lies in the South-Western region of the State and is far away
from the SHIVALIK HILL ranges in the North–East. It is nearer to the Thar
Desert of Rajasthan, therefore climatically this area has a very hot summer.
During the Month of June which is peak of summer season the mercury
sometimes touches 47ºC and the dust storms are regular feature. There is
very short spell of rainy season with scanty rainfall of about 410 mm per
annum. The winter season is dry with minimum temperature touching to
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0ºC.The prevailing wind direction of this region is north – west to south –
east (Town and Country Planning Department, 2011).

Map1.1: Location of Kotkapura Town

Source: Google Earth Data Base, 2019

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 Chapter 2: Review of Literature

Within the first ten months of 2017, more than 125 laborers working as manual
scavengers lost their lives across India. In 2014, the Supreme Court of India
approved a compensation of up to INR 1 million (USD 14,036) to be released in
favor of the families of those who had died due to manual scavenging. But manual
scavenging workers claim that these deaths are “political murders” and that
government compensation seldom reaches the affected families.
According to Government of India, 2013 regarding the data that No specific data is
available about the total number of laborers involved in scavenging. However, the
Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 data of manual scavengers, released by
the Ministry of Rural Development in 2015, puts figures somewhere around
1,80,657 in the rural areas of the country. Prior to that, the Ministry of Social
Justice and Empowerment data gave a figure of 7,70,338 manual scavengers
working across India.

“Most states say that there is no record when we ask them about information. Till
July 2017, 13 States admitted to having 13,500 manual scavengers,” the Minister
of Social Justice, Thawar Gehlot, admitted. Bezwada Wilson, convenor of the
Safai-Karamchari-Andolan (SKA), an Indian human rights organization that has
been campaigning for the eradication of manual scavenging, recently told Indian
Express that state governments in Indian were fully involved in the first phase of
verifying and then enrolling the workers who approached district-level camps.
“Still, when they saw the actual numbers, they decided to go for under-reporting
instead of eradicating the practice,” he said. Prime among the culprits in terms of
States are Maharashtra which has 63,000 households who depend on manual
scavenging. The state employs 35% of 1,80,657 Indian families who earn their
livelihood by removing and unblocking excreta from sewers.

According to Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, 2017 that Swach

Bharat Abhiyan (SBA), a cleanliness drive launched in 2014 by prime minister
Narendra Modi, aims to make India free from open defecation within six years by
constructing two crore toilets across states. However, it doesn’t deal with the
eradication of caste-based, manual scavenging jobs.

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It is not the reason the that they are poor and uneducated dalits do this work
exclusively because open castism and patriarchy. But there is a discrimination of
sex in the scavengers (for sewage and septic tank cleaning they get paid a more
little than dry lavatory cleaning) so there is more male doing this type of work. Not
every dalit is safai karamchari but every safai karamchari is dalit. They are working
as safai karamchari from generation. The situation of house force them to become
safai-karamchari. Drinking Alcohol and fight is just a normal

Lines by documentary of Scoop Whoop:-We can feel the situation of a man who
was cleaning human excert everyday. They use to get high after coming home
from and use to say ‘I work in the filth all day’ I have to drink they are under
immense stress so they channelize his anger . the frustration force them to take
up alcohol and drugs, that’s how their family collapse.

According to Mondal 2016, The combined effects of population explosion and

changing modern living standard have had a cumulative effect in the generation of
a large amount of various types of wastes. As most of the hazardous wastes are
disposed off or in land, the most serious environmental effect is contaminated
ground water. Once ground water is polluted with hazardous wastes, it is very
often not possible to reverse the damage. Pesticides form residues in the soil that
are washed into streams which then carry them forward. The residues may persist
in PCBs (poly chlorinated biphenyls) are concentrated in the kidneys and liver and
cause damage; they cause reproductive failure in birds and mammals. The soil or
in the bottom of lakes and rivers. Exposure can occur through ingestion, inhalation
and skin contact, resulting acute or chronic poisoning. Lead, mercury and arsenic
are hazardous substances which can often refer to as heavy metals. Most of the
lead absorbed by people is stored in the bones. Lead can affect red blood cells by
reducing their ability to carry oxygen and shortening their life span. Lead may also
damage nervous tissue, resulting in brain disease. Mercury is used in production
of chlorine and as a catalyst in the production of some plastics. Mercury build up
in body over long period of time is known to cause brain damage. Minamata
disease occurs due to mercury poisoning. Vinyl chloride is a chemical that is
widely used in plastic manufacture. A long continuous exposure in humans it can
cause deafness, vision problem circulation disorders and bone deformities.

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 Chapter 3: Socio-Geographical Analysis of Solid and Liquid Waste
Management in Kotkapura

3.1 Introduction: Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board along with Municipal
Committee of Kotkapura are two major agencies for liquid and solid waste
management in the city. The production of solid waste in an urban area is a
function of the socio-economic profile of the population and activities in the area.
As per UDPFI guidelines the generating of waste varies from about over a quarter
of a kilogram in small towns to about half a kilogram per capita in large and metro
cities. For Kotkapura town which is medium sized city the waste generation will be
3/8 of kilogram per capita i.e. 3/8 x 200000 = 75000 kg = 75 metric ton per day
(Town and Country Planning Department, 2011).
3.1.1 Landuse of Kotkapura City: Out of a total Local Planning Area of
Kotakpura area of 24184 hectare (as calculated by PRSC) maximum
proportion is occupied by agricultural use 90.95% followed by residential
5.10%, industrial 0.62%, and transport 2.00%.In case of Kotkapura town out of
a total area of 2442 hectare about 19.34% is occupied by residential use,
3.60% industrial use, 3.01%by public & semi public uses and 7.95%by
transport and 61.16% by agriculture (Town and Country Planning Department,
2011).
During field survey, it has been observed that among all 29 wards,
approximately 16 wards are of residential land use, in 4 wards commercial
land use is dominating which include small scale industries, agro-based
industries and markets, and other 9 wards are having mixed type of land use
(Figure 3.1).
Figure 3.1: Type of Landuse in Kotkapura Town
18
16
14
Number of Wards

12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Residential Commercial Mixed

Source: Field Survey conducted by Author, 2019

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 3.1.2 Housing: About 92% of the houses are of permanent nature, 4.8% are
semi-permanent and only 1.8% non-serviceable temporary houses. In terms of
availability of rooms only 26.5% of the households live in one room dwelling
units. Whereas about 73% families live in two rooms or above. As regards
access to service, 57% have tap water, and 94.17% electricity. According to
Census, about 39.04% of population of Kotkapura town lives in slums. There
are 8 slums all located on private land (Town and Country Planning
Department, 2011).
During field survey, it has been observed that among all the wards of the
kotkapura town, 62 % wards were having pucca houses and 38 % wards were
having semi-pucca houses (Figure 3.2).

Figure 3.2 : Type of Houses in Kotkapura Town

Semi-Pucca

38% Pucca

62%

Source: Field Survey conducted by Author, 2019

3.2 Solid Waste Management: Domestic Waste is waste, which is either solid or
liquid generated in residential areas, Commercial settings and institutions. Waste
in general terms is defined as an unwanted as it is obviously undesirable. It is
nevertheless an inevitable and inherent product of social, economic and cultural
life (Alemayehu, 2004). Some of the major types of solid waste management are
as follows: a. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), b. Hazardous Wastes, c. Industrial
Wastes, d. Agricultural Wastes, e. Bio-medical Wastes, f. Waste Minimization
(Mondal, 2016). a. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW):
The term municipal solid waste (MSW) is generally used to describe most of the
non-hazardous solid waste from a city, town or village that requires routine

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collection and transport to a processing or disposal site, Sources of MSW include
private homes, commercial establishments and institutions, as well as industrial
facilities. However, MSW does not include wastes from industrial processes,
construction and demolition debris, sewage sludge, mining waste or agricultural
wastes. MSW is also called as trash or garbage. In general, domestic waste and
MSW are used as synonyms. Municipal solid waste contains a wide variety of
materials. It can contain food waste (like vegetable and meat material, leftover
food, eggshells etc, which is classified as wet garbage as well as paper, plastic,
tetra-pack, plastic cans, newspaper, glass bottles, cardboard boxes, aluminium
foil, meta items, wood pieces, etc., which is classified as dry garbage. India’s
urban population slated to increase from the current 330 million to about 600
million by 2030, the challenge of managing municipal solid waste (MSW) in an
environmentally and economically sustainable manner is bound to assume
gigantic proportions. The country has over 5,000 cities and towns, which generate
about 40 million tonnes of MSW per year today. Going by estimates of The Energy
Research Institute (TERI), this could well touch 260 million tonnes per year by
2047.The municipal solid waste industry has four components: recycling
composting, land-filling, and waste-to-energy via incineration. The primal) steps
are generation, collection, sorting and separation, transfer and disposal/ utilisation.
1. Waste generation encompasses activities in which materials are identified as no
longer being of value and are either thrown out or gathered together for disposal.
2. The functional element of Collection includes not only the gathering of solid
waste and recyclable materials, but also the transport of these materials, after
collection, to the location where the collection vehicle is emptied. This location
may be a material processing facility, a transfer station or a landfill disposal site.
3. Waste handling and separation involves activities associated with waste
management until the waste is placed in storage containers for collection.
Handling also encompasses the movement of loaded containers to the point of
collection.

Separating different types of waste components is an important step in the

handling and storage of solid waste at the source. The types of means and
facilities that are now used for the recovery of waste materials that have been
separated at the source include curbside collection, drop off and buy back centers.
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4. Transfer and transport involves two main steps. First, the waste is transferred
from a smaller collection vehicle to larger transport equipment. The waste is then
transported, usually over long distances, to a processing or disposal site.
5. Today the disposal of wastes by land filling or land spreading is the ultimate fate
of all solid wastes, whether they are residential wastes collected and transported
directly to a landfill site, residual materials from materials recovery facilities
(MRFs), residue from the combustion of solid waste, compost or other substances
from various solid waste processing facilities.
In USA, EPA regulations in 1995 and 2000 under the Clean Air Act have
succeeded in reducing emissions of dioxins from waste-to-energy facilities by
more than 99 percent below 1990 levels, while mercury emissions have been by
over 90 percent. The EPA noted these improvements in 2003, citing waste-to-
energy as a power source “with less environmental impact than almost any other
source of electricity”.
Municipal solid waste management is more of an administrative and institutional
mechanism failure problem rather than a technological one. Until now, MSW
management has been considered to be almost the sole responsibility of urban
governments, without the participation of citizens and other stakeholders.The
Centre and the Supreme Court, however, have urged that this issue be addressed
with multiple stakeholder participation. Cities in India spend approximately 20% of
the city budget on solid waste services.
b. Hazardous Wastes: Hazardous wastes are those that can cause harm to
human and the environment. Wastes are classified as hazardous if they exhibit
any of four primary characterises based on physical or chemical properties of
toxicity, reactivity ignitability and corrosively.
1. Toxic wastes: Toxic wastes are those that are poisonous in small or trace
amounts. Some may have acute or immediate effect on human or animals.
Carcinogenic or mutagenic causing biological changes in the children of exposed
people and animals. Examples: pesticides, heavy metals.
2. Reactive wastes: Reactive wastes are those that have a tendency to react
vigorously with air or water are unstable to shock or heat, generate toxic gases or
explode during routine management. Examples: Gun powder, nitro glycerin.

15
3. Ignitable waste: Are those that burn at relatively low temperatures (< 60 °C) and
are capable of spontaneous combustion during storage transport or disposal.
Examples: Gasoline, paint thinners and alcohol.
4. Corrosive wastes: Are those that destroy materials and living tissues by
chemical reactions? Examples: acids and base.
5. Infectious wastes: Included human tissue from surgery, used bandages and
hypoderm needles hospital wastes.:
Chemical manufacturing companies, petroleum refineries, paper mills, smelters
and other industries. Plastic industries thousand of chemicals are used in
industries every year. When used incorrectly or inappropriately they can become
health hazards. PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls) are resistant to fire and do not
conduct electricity very well, which makes them excellent materials for several
industrial purposes. Rainwater can wash PCBs out of disposal areas in dumps
and landfills thus contaminating the water. PCBs do not break open very rapidly in
the environment and thus retain their toxic characteristics. They cause long-term
exposure problems to both human and wildlife. Many household chemicals can be
quite toxic to humans as well as wildlife. Most of the dangerous substances in our
homes are found in various kinds of clearness, solvents and products used in
automotive care. When these products are used incorrectly they have the potential
to be harmful.
c. Industrial Wastes: These contain more of toxic and require special treatment.
Food processing industries, metallurgical chemical and pharmaceutical unit’s
breweries, sugar mills, paper and pulp industries, fertilizer and pesticide industries
are major ones which discharge toxic wastes. During processing, scrap materials,
tailings, acids etc. Most common observation is that the health of the people living
in the neighborhood of dumping sites is severely affected. The exposure may
cause disorders of nervous system, genetic defects, skin diseases and even
caner. Waste minimization technologies have to be developed. Source reduction
recycling and reuse of materials need to be practiced on a large scale. Hazardous
waste should not mix up with general waste. Source reduction involves altering
the design, manufacture or use of products and materials to reduce the amount
and toxicity of materials that get thrown away.
d. Agricultural Wastes: The waste generated by agriculture includes waste from
crops and live stock. In developing countries, this waste does not pose a serious
16
problem as most of it is used e.g., dung is used for manure, straw is used as
fodder. Some agro-based industries produce waste e.g., rice milling, production of
tea, tobacco etc. Agricultural wastes are rice husk, degasses, ground nut shell,
maize cobs, straw of cereals etc. If more C: N ratio wastes like paddy husk or
straw may cause immobilization of nutrients if applied on the fields. It occupies to
large land areas if not properly disposed.
e. Bio-Medical Wastes: Bio-medical waste means any waste, which is generated
during the diagnosis, treatment or immunisation of human beings or animals or in
research activities pertaining thereto or in the production or testing of biological.
f. Waste Minimization: Waste production can be minimized by adopting the 3 R’s
principle: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Reduce the amount and toxicity of
garbage and trash that you discard. Reuse containers and try to repair things that
are broken. Recycle products wherever possible, which includes buying recycled
products i.e., recycled paper books, paper bags etc. These are processes that
involve integrated waste management practices (IWM). They can reduce the
wastes generated by approximately 50%.
The management of solid waste is done by Municipal Committee and PWSSB. At
household level, solid waste is picked by Safai-Karmachari of Municipality or
people do not have proper solid waste management plan in town. During field
survey, it has been observed that 16 out of 29 wards have facility of government
pickup of solid waste in proper manner (Figure 3.3). The residents of 11 wards
throw the household solid waste in open spaces and rest two wards have no
specific solid waste management plan or activity.
Figure 3.3: Household level Solid Waste Management in Kotkapura Town

18
16
14
Number of Wards

12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Government Throw in Open Not Specific
Pickup Space

Source: Field Survey conducted by Author, 2019

17
 Figure 3.4: Availability of public Dustbins in Kotkapura City

28%

No
Yes
72%

Source: Field Survey conducted by Author, 2019

Whether there is provision of government pick up of household solid waste in 16
wards but in the field it has been observed that 72 per cent wards of total wards
do not have any public dustbins (Figure 3.4). Most of these wards are of
residential land use. In the wards where there is commercial landus, public
dustbins are available.

Figure 3.5: Solid Waste Dumping Sites (within the wards) in Kotkapura City

Wards without
38% dumping sites

62% Wards with dumping

sites

Source: Field Survey conducted by Author, 2019

In Kotkapura town, more than 10 wards residents throw their sold waste in open
places so the emergence of dumping sites if quite obvious. In Kotkapura town, 38
per cent wards have small to large solid waste dumping sites within the wards
(Figure 3.5). These open solid waste dumping sites create many issues in spread
of communicable diseases, foul smells and the condition become very poor in
rainy season.

18
3.3 Liquid Waste Management: The indiscriminate disposal of waste, both liquid and
solid, adversely affects the immediate human environment by degrading the
natural phenomena hence, exerting health risk to exposed population. Health risks
may be carried through different vehicles including flies, dogs, rodent and others
that scavenge on the waste (Alemayehu, 2004). The liquid effluents discharged by
the industries contain inorganic and organic pollutants and they enter into water
bodies causing destruction of fish, formation of sediments, and pollution of ground
water and release of foul odours.
The overflown sewerage pipes create many other issues and this is the lack of
government policies if covered sewerage pipes are not there. In field survey, it has
been observed that 16 wards have covered sewerage pipes which are in good
working condition (Figure 3.6). Among 29 wards, 6 wards do not have covered
sewerage pipes and sewer water is often overflown in the streets. Seven wards
are under construction of sewerage pipes so the pipes are found somewhere in
the ward.

Figure 3.6: Availability of Sewerage water pipes in Kotkapura Town

18
16
14
Number of Wards

12
10
8
6
4
2
0
No Yes at some places

Source: Field Survey conducted by Author, 2019

If we see the liquid waste management at household level, then approx. 11 wards
houses have both types (Cemented open and covered) of sewerage pipes within
their households. The households of 8 wards have covered sewerage pipes and
households of 6 wards have open cemented sewerage pipes (Figure 3.7). Two

19
wards (located near outskirts) do not have any sewerage pipes and sewerage
water overflow into the open fields nearby.

Figure 3.7: Household Liquid Waste Management in Kotkapura Town

12
10
8
6
Number of Wards

4
2
0
e ld
s es es es
m ip ip ip
h o fie e p e p e p
de en ag ag ag
tsi p in r er
ou O
Dr
a we se
w
se
ow te
d ed of
erfl en er p es
ov v y
Ce
m Co t
en n ot
h
Oft e B
Op

Source: Field Survey conducted by Author, 2019

During field survey (February and March months of 2019), 41 per cent wards have
overflown sewerage water particularly where no sewerage systems are there and
where the sewerage is under construction. 24 per cent wards have overflown
sewerage water at some places. This also included the wards where proper
sewerage systems if there. Due to blockage in sewerage pipes, these type of
issue arises.

Figure3.8: Condition of Overflowen Sewerage Water in Kotkapura Town

24%
34% No

Yes

at some places

41%

Source: Field Survey conducted by Author, 2019

20
 Chapter 4: Government Policies for Solid and Liquid Waste Management

4.1 Waste Management: Knowledge Portal established as part of Centre of

Excellence on Solid Waste and Waste Water Management of Ministry of Urban
Development, Government of India (Centre for Enviornment and Development,
2018). Waste Management in India falls under the purview of the Union Ministry of
Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). In 2016 this ministry
released the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016, these rules replaced
the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000 which had
been in place for 16 years. Urban India (about 377 million people) generates 62
million tonnes of municipal solid waste each year, of this about 43 million tonnes
(70%) is collected and 11.9 million tonnes (20%) is treated. About 31 million
tonnes (50%) is dumped in landfill sites. With changing consumption patterns and
rapid economic growth it is estimated that urban municipal solid waste generation
will increase to 165 million tonnes in 2030.

Some of the highlights of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016 are:

Waste segregation at source is mandatory. Waste generators have to segregate

waste into three streams - Organic or Biodegradable waste, Dry waste (Plastic,
Paper, Metal, Wood, etc.) and Domestic Hazardous waste (diapers, napkins,
mosquito repellants, cleaning agents etc.). Further, bulk waste generators such as
hotels, hospitals etc. are expected to treat organic waste either onsite or by
collaborating with the urban local body.

Municipalities and urban local bodies have been directed to include informal waste
pickers and rag pickers into their waste management process. This is the first time
that national policy has acknowledged and included the informal sector into the
waste management process. India has over 1.5 Million subsistence informal waste
pickers and including them into the formal waste management system represents
an opportunity for urban local bodies to streamline their operations, while provide
the waste pickers with better income opportunities (Sambhyal, 2018).

FMCG product manufacturers that use non-biodegradable packaging for their

products must put in place a system to collect the packaging waste generated due
to their production.

21
Urban local bodies have been given a provision to charge bulk generators a user
fee to collect and process their waste, additionally spot fines may be levied on
user's burning garbage or throwing it in a public place.

No non-recyclable waste having a calorific value of 1,500 Kcal/kg or more should

be disposed in the landfills. It should either be utilized for generating energy or can
be used for preparing refuse derived fuel. Or it can be used for co-processing in
cement or thermal power plants (Sambhyal, 2018).

4.1.1 List of Private Companies of Recycle and Reuse Wastages: Here is a

list of the leading Waste Management Companies (arranged alphabetically) in
India.

 Antony Waste Handling Cell Private Ltd. – is one of the pioneers in solid
waste management and a part of Antony Group of companies, Mumbai.
 Arora Fibres – engages in recycling plastic bottles into polyester which are
later used as packaging material.
 Attero Electronics – is an integrated end-to-end electronics asset
management company in India. It also provides metal extraction services
and operates one of the largest reverse logistics network, backed by IT
solutions.
 Eco-Wise – This decade-old Noida based startup engages in the
residential, commercial and industrial waste collection and ensures
treatment and disposal in accordance with MSW Rules 2000. It has a
national presence in India.
 Greenobin – is a pioneer in providing waste paper management and
recycling facilities to industrial and commercial customers. It is Gurgaon
based and provides office recycling, security shredding, recycling bins
services.
 Green Power Systems – is a leading waste-to-energy company in India
founded in 2011. The company engages in the development of clean and
low-cost technology for waste management solutions.
 Hanjer Biotech – recycles mixed solid waste into valuable green products
using green technology. The organization is almost a decade old and has a
presence at multiple locations in India.

22
  Let’s Recycle – is a Gujarat based organization that specializes in the
collection of dry waste. It is an initiative of NEPRA Resource management
Pvt. Ltd. Let’s Recycle deploys Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
system to track and monitor its activities and targets to divert 30000 MT of
waste from the landfill by 2020.
 Saahas Zero Waste – is a Bangalore-based waste management startup
engaging in plastic bags (tough materials to recycle) and also looking at
new ways to compost everything else. It was started in 2001 having a
presence in Bengaluru and Chennai and currently diverts 25 tonnes of
waste from reaching dump yards daily.
 Sampurnearth Environment Solutions Pvt. Ltd.– provides end-to-end
decentralized waste management solutions for housing societies, corporate
houses, townships, school and college campuses. It specializes in
processing both biodegradable (food waste, horticulture waste) and non-
biodegradable waste. This Mumbai based start-up adopts a decentralized
approach to waste segregation, recycling dry waste and transforming it into
cooking gas and fertilizer.
 Synergy Waste Management – is a bio-medical waste manager in India.
 Vermigold Ecotech – is a solid waste management company specializing in
organic waste/wet garbage and uses earthworm processing technology. It
is recognized as the World’s Best Practice in handling organic waste
streams. As a result, high nutrient vermicompost and liquid fertilizer are
generated that can be used for gardening.

There are many other start-ups worth mentioning such as Namo e-waste,
Citizengage, Paperman, ExtraCarbon etc. operating in different parts of the
country and doing their bit. They cannot be regarded small as they are doing a
herculean task of cleaning our earth. I myself use ExtraCarbon services in the
NCR region. You can choose to get paid for your raddi (waste) or can donate it to
some NGO. Free Pathshala’s Raddi Se Tarakki in Gurugram that provides primary
education to children of construction workers for free (Shah, 2018).

4.2 Manual Scavenging: Manual scavenging is a term used mainly in India for
the manual removal of untreated human excreta from bucket toilets or pit latrines
by hand with buckets and shovels. It has been officially prohibited by law in 1993

23
(By the ministry of Urban Development under the Narasimha Rao Government)
due to it being regarded as a caste-based, dehumanizing practice (if not done in a
safe manner). Under this law, the first step to preventing manual scavenging is
demolishing 'insanitary latrines'. This Act came into force in December 2013. It
imposed certain time bound commitments by the local authorities (municipal
bodies, cantonment boards and railway authorities).

In the first amendment the court didn’t add the scavengers working in the
manholes. Supreme court judgement which says that going inside a manhole is
illegal but in the same judgement also states that precautions that need to be
taken before entering a manhole (they contradicting themselves)

Constitutional provisions Since manual scavengers belong to the backward

section of society, they are entitled to some special rights apart from rights under
the Indian constitution. Some of the important and relevant constitutional
provisions are as follows:

• Article 14: Equality before law (Right to Equality);

• Article 16(2): Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment

• Article 17: Abolition of Untouchability.

• Article 19(1)(a):Right to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation,

trade or business;

• Article 21: Protection of life and personal liberty;

• Article 23: Prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labor etc;

• Article 41: Right to work, to education and public assistance in certain

circumstances

• Article 42: Just and humane conditions of work

• Article 46:Promotion of educational and economic interests of scheduled castes,

scheduled tribes and other weaker sections;

• Article 47: Duty of the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of
living and to improve public health.

24
• Article 338: Constitution of a National Commission for Schedule Caste.

4.3 Solid and Liquid Waste Management under Master plan Kotkapura
‘Vision-2031’: Developing a vision for the town is control for the preparation of a
master plan.
A vision is a statement explaining that where the city wishes to go, within a given
time frame and is often expressed in terms of clear expectations. Based on the
outcome of discussions held in the various meetings of 'Think Tank' the Vision
Kotkapura 2031 is articulated many objectives (Town and Country Planning
Department, 2011). But, the solid and liquid waste management visions are
discussed below:
"To project Kotkapura as a hub of agro-based industries and to revive its
commercial supremacy by providing high quality physical and social infrastructure
to all of its citizens in an inclusive and environmentally sustainable manner."
Strategies' to attain Vision
In order to achieve the objectives and goals enshrined in the vision statement,
mission statements for various focused areas have been detailed below:
Urban Environment
· Urban environment to be made integral and essential part of city development
process.
· Environment to be made integral part of planning and decision making process.
· Effective treatment of all sewage generated within the city.
· Improving solid waste management.
· Creating / developing new and improving existing parks and open spaces.
· Promoting better water management.
· Making city free from air, water and noise pollution.
· Discouraging the growth of slums and improving existing slums.
Urban Services:
Water supply
· To ensure safe, equitable, reliable, adequate and quality water supply
· To ensure 100% coverage of the city
· To promote rain water harvesting and recycling of water.
Sewerage and Drainage
· Total coverage of the city with sewerage and drainage system including slums.

25
· To promote eco-friendly decentralized treatment system.
· To minimize sewage generation through water saving appliances.
· To promote recycling of sewage
· To promote protection of natural water bodies
· To promote optimum use of storm water as an alternate source of water supply.
Solid waste management
· To improve the solid waste management in the city using best practices.
· To use PPP model for Solid waste management.
· To promote “Recycling” system of SWM.
· To make solid waste management people centric
Storm water disposal
· To introduce the storm water disposal system in the entire city.
· To improve the capacity of the water bodies existing within the city.
· To improve the natural water drainage channels by de silting and stopping the
sewage water from entering the channels.

Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations

26
As it is evident from existing studies there is no natural gradient towards a
particular direction available in the areas falling within the limits of Municipal
Council Kotkapura. The rain water usually accumulates in the depressions formed
by virtue of natural topography in forms of the ponds existing in the Towns. So far
as collection of storm water is concerned the town can be divided into three
different parts i.e. area across the Bathinda-Ferozpur railway lines, area towards
south of Kotkapura-Moga road and areas falling on north side of Kotkapura-Moga
road. The Storm Water Collection system is required to be evolved in such a
manner that above mentioned areas should be covered.
There are many disparities in different areas and wards of Kotkapura town. In
2019, sewerage facility has been provided to jalaiyana road Kotkapura. Before, no
sewage facility was there. Cleaningness of surroundings in terms of solid and
liquid waste is must as we all society members also use to clean our nails
ourselves, In the same way, clean our surrounding too. Safai-Karamchari use to
clean the city under the instructions of Municipal Committee but they demand
minimum 700 rs and every member of society contribute in it. The age of these
safai Karamchari varies from 17-18 years to 60 years, children of 17-18 years age
go to school as well as clean the society for their earnings. While, there is no such
manual scavenging scene in Kotkapura town.
Scavengers come in direct contact with human excreta and his/her hands are
completely soiled. In a congested locality, the scavenger has to crawl through a
narrow passage, pushing the basket with one hand, resting his body weight on the
other to make his way up to the latrine chamber through a narrow opening. In the
latrine, where the seat is deep inside, he/she has to stretch his hand to the fullest
and thrust his/her head into the hole to clean the toilet.

A modern sanitary landfill is not a dump; it is an engineered facility used for

disposing of solid wastes on land without creating nuisances or hazards to public
health or safety, such as the breeding of insects and the contamination of ground
water. Municipal solid waste can be used to generate energy.

Recommendations: Several technologies have been developed that make the

processing of MSW for energy generation cleaner and more economical than ever

27
before, including landfill gas capture, combustion, pyrolysis, gasification, and
plasma arc gasification. While older waste incineration plants emitted high levels
of pollutants, recent regulatory changes and new technologies have significantly
reduced this concern.

Common methods for disposing of hazardous wastes are land disposal and
incineration Industries need to be encouraged to generate less hazardous waste
in the manufacturing process. Although toxic wastes cannot be entirely eliminated,
technologies are available for minimizing recycling and treating the wastes.
Integrated pest management practices (IPM) reduce the usage of pesticides.
Substitute the use of PCBs and vinyl chloride with chemicals that are less toxic.
Polyvinyl chloride use can be lowered by reducing the use of plastics.

Local communities and voluntary organizations should educate the industrialists

as well as the public about dangers of pollution and the need to keep the
environment clean. Land filling, incineration and composting technologies to be
followed. Biogas is obtained from solid waste treatment of industrial and mining
waste is done for the recovery of useful products.

Manual Scavenging has many serious health effects so it could be replaced with
mechanization of scavenging. Whether, it is not feasible in Kotkapura but several
medical and other provisions could be given to safai-karmcharis.

References

28
1. Adhikari, S. (2018). Solid Waste Management. Retrieved March 2019, from
www.publichealthnotes.com: https://www.publichealthnotes.com/solid-
waste-management/

2. Alemayehu, E. (2004). Solid and Liquid Waste Management. Retrieved

March 2019, from www.cartercenter.org:
https://www.cartercenter.org/resources/pdfs/health/ephti/library/lecture_not
es/health_extension_trainees/ln_hew_solid_waste_final.pdf

3. Annonymous. (2013). Solid and Liquid Waste Management in Rural Areas.

Retrieved March 2019, from mdws.gov.in:
https://mdws.gov.in/sites/default/files/Primer%20SLWM.pdf

4. Centre for Enviornment and Development. (2018). India Waste Managment

Portal. Retrieved March 2019, from indiawastemanagementportal:
http://indiawastemanagementportal.org/

5. John. (2012). What is Liquid Waste and How Can it Be Removed.

Retrieved March 2019, from John's Refuse and Recycling:
http://www.johnsrefuse.com/blog/bid/227367/What-is-Liquid-Waste-and-
How-Can-it-Be-Removed

6. Kalyani, S. (2017). The Imperiling State of Manual Scavengers in Urban

Tamil Nadu : Health Hazards Haunting Women Cleaners. International
Journal of Research in Economics and Social Sciences, 7(10), 86-94.

7. Mondal, P. (2016). 6 Main Types of Solid Waste Management. Retrieved

February 2019, from Your Article Library:
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/solid-waste/6-main-types-of-solid-waste-
management/30162

8. Punjab Pollution COntrol Board. (2016). Solid Waste Management Rules,

2016. Retrieved March 2019, from www.ppcb.gov.in:
http://www.ppcb.gov.in/MunicipalSolidWaste.aspx

9. Sambhyal, S. S. (2018). Government notifies new solid waste management

rules. Retrieved February 2019, from Down to Earth:

29
 https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/waste/solid-waste-management-rules-
2016-53443

10. Shah, S. (2018). List of Leading Waste Management Companies in India –

Interesting ways to Re-use Ways. Retrieved March 2019, from Green world
Investor: http://www.greenworldinvestor.com/2018/06/06/list-of-leading-
waste-management-companies-in-india-interesting-ways-to-re-use-ways/

11. Sulabh International Social Service Organisation. (2017). What is manual

scavenging? Retrieved February 2019, from NGO in General Consultative
Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations:
http://www.sulabhinternational.org/what-is-manual-scavenging/

12. Town and Country Planning Department. (2011). Master Plan for
Kotakpura 2011-2031. Chandigarh: Government of India.

13. Water and Sanitation Programme. (2013). Scaling up Solid and Liquid
Waste Management in Rural Areas. Retrieved February 2019, from
swachhbharatmission.gov.in:
https://swachhbharatmission.gov.in/sbmcms/writereaddata/images/pdf/
technical-notes-manuals/Scaling-up-SLWM-in-Rural-areas.pdf

30
 Annexure 1: Check List for Field Observation

Solid and Liquid Waste Management in Kotakpura City

Ward Number: Date of Survey:

1. Type of Houses (Most of houses):

Pucca (1) Semi-Pucca (2) Katcha (3)

2. Type of Areas (Most of area):

Residential (1) Commercial (2) Administrative Industrial (4)

(3)

3. Is there Public Dustbins available in ward:

No (1) Yes (2) At Some Places (3)

4. Two Types of dustbins are there:

No (1) Yes (2) At Some Places (3)

5. How residents manage household solid waste?

Household dustbin and then Near the Throw in open Not
pick up by govt workers/any household (2) spaces (3) Specific
authority(1) (4)

6. Is there solid waste open dumping in ward?

No (1) Yes (2)

7. Is their Piped Sewerage Systems available:

No (1) Yes (2) At Some Places (3)

8. Type of Sewerage Systems (Most of Area):

Often overflow Open fields Open Cemented Covered

outside home (1) (2) Drainage pipes (3) sewerage pipes
(4)

9. Is their Sewerage water overflown in streets in ward?

No (1) Yes (2) At Some Places (3)

31
10. Any other observation:

32