Dr.Vivak M Arya, Tamanna Sharma
Water and soil are considered as the three most important factors for human life. A good quality of water, and soil is a necessity in life. Solid waste contamination has harmed the quality of these two factors in recent years. These issues plagued us from morning to night. Solid waste contributes to a variety of pollution, which disrupts our daily lives. In India, the growing problem of solid waste disposal is polluting our environment. Environmental pollution by solid waste also had an impact on human health and well-being. These pollutants are compounds that occur naturally in the environment but become harmful when emitted in large quantities by humans. Due to fast population increase, urbanization, and industrialization, solid waste has become a global challenge at local, regional, and national levels. In most developing nations, poor solid waste management causes difficulties that harm human and animal health, resulting in economic, environmental, and biological losses. The impact of waste is determined by its composition and illegal disposal procedures. Waste dumping pollutes the environment and has both short and long-term health consequences which include asthma, respiratory infection, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and even brain, nerves, liver, lymph hematopoietic or kidneys diseases. Solid waste management is a key concern in India’s high-density cities, since the per capita creation of municipal solid waste has risen dramatically in tandem with the population’s better lifestyle and social status. As more space is required for the final disposal of these solid wastes, disposal challenges have become extremely difficult. Waste has a negative influence on public health, the environment, and the economy. According to the data. Jammu city generates 350-400 MT (metric tonnes) of solid waste each day, at a rate of 0.45 kg/cap/day with contributions from domestic, institutional, commercial, and street sweepings. The amount of garbage being dumped is increasing daily, and the dumping area is becoming so large that it is threatening to cover our safe zone and cause a sewage problem. It has detrimental effects on air, water and soil quality.
Effect on water quality: A water pollutant is a chemical or physical substance that is present in excessive amounts in the water and can harm living creatures. Copper, Manganese, Lead, Cadmium, Phosphate, Nitrate, and other chemical hazards exist. Ground water should be free of physical and chemical risks as a matter of public health but people living in and around dumping site are at high risk of groundwater contamination. Another high-risk group is people who live near a landfill or whose water supply has been contaminated by garbage dumping or leaking from landfill sites, which raises the risk of injury and infection. Domestic garbage, in particular, provides ideal circumstances for the survival and proliferation of microbial diseases. Uncollected solid waste can also hinder storm water runoff, resulting in stagnant water bodies that can harbour diseases like Malaria, chest pains, diarrhea, and cholera. Direct dumping of untreated trash into rivers, seas, and lakes resulted in harmful compounds accumulating in the food chain via the plants and animals that consume it. River Tawi has become a garbage dump throughout the years, with mounds of hazardous waste polluting its water and ecology dumped on its shores. A municipal drain containing wastes such as polythene bags and garbage from Pacci Dhakki, Jullaka Mohalla, Pir Meetha and Peerkho etc area is polluting the river on daily basis.
According to JKPCB (Jammu Kashmir Pollution Control Board), the river’s biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) reached 6.2 milligrams per litre during July and September 2020.Certain chemicals, such as cyanides, mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), are highly poisonous if released untreated, and exposure can result in disease or death.
Effect on soil: Soil is a finite resource, which means that its depletion and loss cannot be reversed within a human lifetime. The food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, our health, and the health of all organisms on the earth are all influenced by soils. Healthy soils produce healthy food. In fact, it is believed that our soils create 95% of our food, either directly or indirectly. It affects soil biodiversity, lowers soil organic matter, and reduces soil’s filtering capacity. It also contaminates water held in the soil and groundwater, resulting in nutrient imbalances in the soil. In the low lying vegetable growing areas of Jammu city including Bishnah, Marh, Bhalwal etc. the contaminated water directly reaches the farmer’s field and the harmful chemicals accumulate in soil, absorbed by plants and ultimately reaches the human body causing fatal diseases. Heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and emerging contaminants – such as pharmaceutical and personal care items – are among the most common soil pollutants. Pollutants in the soil, groundwater, and food supply can cause a wide range of diseases and deaths in humans, ranging from short-term acute impacts like intoxication or diarrohea to long-term chronic consequences like cancer.
Management: Jammu city’s population is increasing, and at its present rate of growth, the city will be a megacity by 2047.The majority of city residents resort to waste burning and unlawful off-site disposal, resulting in insanitary conditions and breeding grounds for disease vectors. Solid trash is frequently deposited in open plots and on street corners. Although Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) is playing a very important and crucial role in solid waste management and took several initiatives like anti-polythene drive, cleaniness drive etc. but we as a citizens must have some responsibilities to dispose off the waste properly and keeping our surroundings clean. Solid waste management plant is a step in right direction. It will play a very important role in disposing off the waste generated from Jammu. The following practices should be followed for proper waste management in Jammu city:
* Sanitation staff and other staff involved in garbage picking should be equipped with scientific and high quality dress, equipments and gear for their protection
* Biodegradable and non-biodegradable are separated and disposed off separately but still there are areas where is no separations especially on outskirts of the city.
* Waste collection from slums, illegal colonies, and commercial locations (fish market, slaughterhouse) should be done regularly
* Vehicles used for waste collection should be well-maintained and have a waste cover.
* Check or even prohibit the landfilling of non-biodegradable, poisonous, and other potentially hazardous trash. If the waste cannot be processed, mixed waste land filling should be avoided. Collection from medical institutes, hospitals ans private hospitals and clinic should be done with utmost care
* In cement manufacturers and power plants, non-recyclable waste can be used as refused-derived fuel (RDF).
* Bio-processing is one of the methods/technologies that may be used to make use of waste and reduce the strain on landfills. Composting and vermicomposting are examples of waste processing procedures that have proven to be beneficial to agricultural activities. MSW with a high organic component has the potential to be converted to electricity or composted.
* Bioremediation is proving to be an effective and novel method for the treatment of a wide range of toxins, and it is a useful toolbox for environmental protection. Currently, bioremediation is used to reduce toxins in soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediments, as well as air. In 2019, the Indore Municipal Corporation became the first Indian city to use bioremediation to clean about 15 lakh tonnes of historic garbage from landfills.
* Waste water should be properly treated and effluents must be removed before discharge into water bodies.
CONCLUSION: Solid wastes pose a risk to human health if they are not properly managed. Solid waste may come into touch with live organisms as a result of soil absorption, uptake, ventilation, leaching, and biofactors, causing problems such as cancer, low birth weight, neurological illnesses, nausea, vomiting, and long-term irritation in daily life. In India, population increase is a major contributor to rising solid waste. The growth of megacities in India, together with globalization of the economy, culture, and technology, has aggravated the waste disposal problem. We as a citizen must understand the causes of pollution in order to develop and execute solutions. It is up to us to safeguard and conserve the environment. Government has started a lot of schemes and programmes like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to combat these problems but without our cooperation it is impossible to achieve the results. Similar steps should be taken in each and every districts of UT of J&K and towns. Government of India have started many good schemes and programme for solid waste management in cities and towns. We should take full benefits from these schemes and progarmme as the quote says “Health is Wealth:”
(The authors are from SKUAST-Jammu)
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