Urban waste disposal

Cities produce more and more solid waste, from households and industry: refuse, garbage and rubbish.

Metro cities collect about 90 per cent of their waste; other towns leave 30 to 50 per cent uncollected, lying on streets and empty plots.

Uncollected waste breeds flies and rodents, which spread typhoid, diarrhoea, malaria and cholera. Rotting waste also releases methane, a greenhouse gas.

Waste can be useful: it should be turned into energy and compost (manure), instead of being dumped.

Case study: Daurala, a village near Meerut, suffered from water polluted by industry. With the principle 'polluter pays', the industries paid for clean water pipelines; the village pond was desilted; rainwater harvesting began; and about 1,000 trees were planted. People's health recovered. Waste is wealth in the wrong place.