Regional Disparities in Municipal Solid Waste Management: A Comparative Study of North and South Indian Urban Centers

Ekta Yadav [1]

Urban India is at a stage of its journey where the combination of rapid urbanization and consumption changes has posed unprecedented challenges in the municipal solid waste (MSW) management sector. The country's urban centers are facing a huge challenge to handle the growing waste collection, segregation, transportation, and disposal costs, as they produce more than 150,000 tonnes of MSW every day. [2]  The crisis is not uniform and evident across the country but it reflects the sharp differences among the North and South Indian cities in terms of infrastructure, governance and citizens' engagement. These differences constitute the core of this study, which attempts to highlight the different structures and cultures which lead to different outcomes in the waste management of urban centres in North India and South India.

The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, were a turning point in the regulatory landscape of India. [3] These rules included the principle of source separation, the scientific treatment of waste, the closure of open dumps and the recognition of waste collectors. They also stated the need for decentralized waste management and extended producer responsibility (EPR). [4]  However, change under this progressive model is not consistent across regions. In cities of North India, like Delhi, Lucknow and Kanpur, segregation rate is not more than 20 percent and still landfill and open dumping methods are being used. [5]  Meanwhile, cities such as Mysuru and Alappuzha in the South have reached segregation compliance levels of over 70 percent, with the help of decentralized composting, and high levels of participation from communities.[6]