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    On Urban Waste Management

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    Dr.Thrivikramji.K.P.
    Urban solid waste is lurking behind the society threatening to bury it. Unless careful planning is carried out the humans might fail before the waste.

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    On Urban Waste Management

    Uploaded by

    Dr.Thrivikramji.K.P.
    91 views3 pages
    Urban solid waste is lurking behind the society threatening to bury it. Unless careful planning is carried out the humans might fail before the waste.

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    ON URBAN WASTE MANAGEMENT

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    Urban solid waste is lurking behind the society threatening to bury it. Unless careful planning is carried out the humans might fail before the waste.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    91 views3 pages

    On Urban Waste Management

    Uploaded by

    Dr.Thrivikramji.K.P.
    Urban solid waste is lurking behind the society threatening to bury it. Unless careful planning is carried out the humans might fail before the waste.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    ON URBAN WASTE MANAGEMENMT & RELATED ISSUES: A VISION STATEMENT

    NOTE FOR CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION


    COBANK TOWER, TRIVANDRUM

    PREPARED BY GOSAN
    GEOLOGY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
    TRVANDRUM
    OCT. 24, 02.
    thrivikramji@yahoo.com
    INTRODUCTION

    IN ANY ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP A BLUE PRINT FOR IMRPOVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE
    AND ENVIRONMENT OF THE CITY OF TRIVANDRUM THE QUESTION OF URBAN WASTE
    MANAGEMENT MUST BE GIVEN THE SAME STATUS AS TRANSPORT, WATER SUPPLY,
    HOUSING, RECREATION AND HELTHCARE.

    THE WASTE MANAGEMENT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED WITH EXTREME CARE AND


    SITING OF THE DISPOSAL FACILITIES CALLS FOR CAREFUL SCRUTINY OF THE
    GEOLOGICALAND HYDROGEOLOGICAL SETTINGS.

    NATURE OF URBAN WASTE

    THE CITY WASTE IS DOMINANTLY COMPOSED OF BIODEGRADABLE MATERIAL (SAY


    94%) ORIGINATING FROM DOMESTIC AND COMMERCIAL SOURCES.

    PLASTICS, GLASS, TIN CANS ETC. CONSTITUTE THE REMAINDER. SORTING AT THE
    SOURCE MUST BE THE SECOND STEP IN THE MANAGEMENT PLAN. THE FIRST STEP
    UNDOUBTEDLY IS THE REDUCTION OF THE QUANTITY. THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED ONLY
    BY EDUCATING THE CITIZENS AND OTHERS WHO LINK THEMSELVES WITH THE WASTE
    FROM THE POINT OF RIGIN TO FINAL DISPOSAL.

    FURTHER THE WASTE IS A POINT SOURCE OF CONTAMINANT CHEMICAL ELEMENTS


    WHICH ARE SILENTLY AND SLOWLY RELEASED TO THE SUBSOIL, SURFACE AND
    SUBSURFACE WATER. EXCEEDENCE OF CERTAIN BACKGROUND LEVELS OF THESE
    ELEMENTS WILL LEAD TO THE “DEATH” OF THE ALREADY “STRESSED” ECOSYSTEM OF
    THE AQUATIC ENVIRONEMNTS (EXAMPLE STREAMS AND KAYALS).

    PROPOSAL

    WE IN GOSAN BELIVE THAT THE LEAST HARMFUL METHOD OF DISPOSAL OF CITY


    WASTE IS HIGH TEMPERATURE INCINERATION; WHERE BY MOST OF THE BULK IS
    BURNED OFF LEAVING BEHIND A RELATIVELY TINY FRACTION OF ASH WHICH CAN BE
    SAFELY KEPT AWAY.

    SECONDLY, HEAT COMING OFF AS A BYPRODUCT FROM THE INCINERATORS CAN BE


    UTILISED FOR GENERATING ELECRICITY IN A CAPTIVE POWER PLANT.

    ALTERNATIVELY, THE CLASSIFIED BIODEGRADABLE WASTE (SANS GLASS, TIN CANS


    RUBBER AND PLASTIC) CAN BE SAFELY DISPOSED OF IN A SANITARY LANDFILL.

    THE ABANDONED ROCK AND SUCH OTHER QUARRIES ARE THE BEST CANDIDATES
    FOR DEVELOPING SANITARY LANDFILL. NEARLY ALL SUCH QUARRIES, IN THE
    MONSOON SEASON GETS FILLED WITH RAIN (AND GROUND) WATER AND POSE A
    THREAT LOCALLY. MANY SUCH SITES HAVE STOLEN SEVERAL PRECIOUS LIVES BY
    ACCIDENTAL FALL AND DEATH BY DROWNING.

    IF SUCH QUARRY FLOORS ARE GIVEN AN IMPERVIOUS SEAL BY A COAT OF BITUMEN


    THE LEACHATE ACCUMULATING INSIDE THE LANDFILL CAN BE INSULATED FROM THE
    LOCAL GROUND WATER REGIME AND CAN BE PUMPED OUT AS AND WHEN
    NECESSARY.

    ULTIMATELY THE SITES OF SANITARY LANDDFILLS CAN BE EASILY CONVERETED INTO


    RECREATIONAL SITES LIKE PLAY GROUNDS AND PARKS. GOSAN CAN ASSIST THE
    AUTHORITIES IN MAKING AN INVENTORY OF SUCH QUARRIES (WHICH QUALIFY AS
    POTENTIAL SITES FOR SITING SANITARY LANDFILLS)

    TRANSPORT OF CITY WASTE

    INSTEAD OF THE CURRENT PRACTICE OF USING COVERED TRUCKS, COMPACTOR


    TRUCKS SHOULD BE USED IN A PHASED MANNER TO SAVE FUNDS AND IMPROVING
    EFFICIENCY ON MANY FRONTS LIKE FUEL, WEAR AND TEAR OF THE FLEET AS WELL AS
    THE SIZE OF WORKFORCE NEEDED.

    THE WASTE REMOVAL FROM STREET CORNERS MUST BE CARRIED OUT ONLY DURING
    THE THIRD SHIFT – BETWEEN 10PM AND 6 AM. THIS WILL ELIMINATE ROADBLOCKS
    AND TRAFFIC HOLD UPS DURING THE SCHOOL RUSH HOUR. FURTHER, CHANCES FOR
    BAD EXPOSURE OF THE WORK FORCE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC GETS REDUCED.

    CONTRARY TO THE CURRENT PRACTICE, THE COLLECTION AND LOADING CREW


    SHOULD BE PROVIDED WITH APPROPRIATE ATTIRE AND OTHER PARAPHERNALIA LIKE
    GLOVES AND SHOES TO DO AWAY WITH DIRECT SKIN CONTACT WITH THE GARBAGE
    AND WASTE.

    LASTLY, THE PUBLIC IN AND AROUND THE POTENTIAL LANDFILL SITES MUST BE
    EDUCATED ON ALL ASPECTS OF THE SANITARY LANDFILLS LIKE THEIR
    CONSTRUCTION, NATURE OF THE MATERIAL GOING INTO AND COMING OFF AS
    LECHATE. A WHOLE LOT OF TRANSPARENCY NEEDS TO BE BUILT INTO THE VARIOUS
    STAGES OF THIS OPERATION.

    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

    THE POINTS RAISED IN THE FOREGOING IS THE OUT COME OF A COLECTIVE EFFORT
    BY THE MEMBERS OF THE GOSAN.

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