Solid Waste Management in Indian Cities: Status and Emerging Practices

Editors:

• Darshini Mahadevia, Professor, Faculty of Planning and Public Policy, CEPT University, Ahmedabad

• Jeanne M. Wolfe, Emeritus Professor, School of Urban Planning, Mc Gill University, Montreal

Waste management and disposal is a growing environmental concern in the urban areas. Proper disposal of the urban wastes is not only essential for reducing its adverse human health and environmental impacts, but also presents a large potential for resource recovery. This book is the result of comparative research work on solid waste management (SWM) projects undertaken in seven cities in India .

The chapters focus on solid waste management practices, bottlenecks and interesting innovations in the case study cities.  The introductory chapter brings together urban governance, role of decentralization and SWM framework in India . The second chapter offers a detailed overview of solid waste management practices, various actors involved, institutional arrangements and financing system. The following chapters present case studies of SWM practices in the cities of Bangalore , Hyderabad , Kolkata, Mumbai, Ranchi , Suryapet and Vegalpur. The rationale behind selecting these cities is that they put forth appealing innovation at some level of practice. Every case study examines in detail the scale of the project, new efforts and initiatives in SWM, environmental impacts, concerns and sustainability issues, and potential for up-scaling.                                                

The book offers lot of detailed, systematic information with regard to managing solid waste. It is a useful read for urban planners, municipal officials, city managers, and researchers.