Generation And Disposal Of Solid Waste In Jammu City: An Environmental Issue

Solid Waste Management (SWM) system has vital role to play in ensuring good environment and is a measure of quality of life of the city. A city is a often appreciated by the visitors if it looks neat and clean. The Solid Waste Management (SWM) system covers the full cycle from collection of waste from household and commercial establishments through the acceptable final disposable. In the process, efforts are made to reduce the final volumes, through recycling and material recovery as well as treatment in an environmentally sound manner. In case of Jammu city over the years the problems of Solid Waste have been addressed in a broad manner but in absence of specific rules and regulations, there was no consistent approach in this sector. The main Solid Waste generation sources in Jammu city are Residential, Commercial and Market, Slum, Slaughter Houses, Institutional Organization like Hospitals, Hotels and Restaurants, Small and Big Scale Industries, Construction and Demolition Waste (Debris) etc. The Municipal Administration has been decentralized in two zones and 71 administrative wards. Zone 1 consists of 34 wards and Zone 2 has 37 wards. On the basis of Quantification and Characterization (Q & C private agency) survey, the per capita generation of Solid Waste from residential area is found to be 298.675 gm; accordingly, the approximate quantity of municipal Solid Waste generated from residential area comprising of total population of about 8, 77,387 is 262 MT, which includes entire Jammu Development Authority (JDA) area of 287 sq. km. But the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) is only managing the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Operations for waste quantity of 183 MT only generating from 6, 13,091 from 66 sq. km. area thus there is no arrangement for remaining residential area. The Jammu Municipal Corporation has not developed proper Land Fill sites. Presently Solid Waste is being crudely at the bank of Tawi, which is a source of Environmental Pollution.