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Photos: India’s trash crisis at risk of spilling over, alternatives scant

Sep 13, 2017 14:20 IST

On September 01, 2017 the national capital’s Ghazipur dump yard witnessed an avalanche as a nearly 15-storey-high mound fell into an adjacent canal, creating a mini-tsunami; killing two people and washing away four vehicles. With an enormous amount of trash generated annually, India’s existing landfills are already brimming. Space for more such dump sites is scarce as cities themselves expand and alternatives to more efficient waste disposal such as recycling and composting the need of the hour. (Ajay Aggarwal / HT Photo )

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On September 01, 2017 the national capital’s Ghazipur dump yard witnessed an avalanche as a nearly 15-storey-high mound fell into an adjacent canal, creating a mini-tsunami; killing two people and washing away four vehicles. With an enormous amount of trash generated annually, India’s existing landfills are already brimming. Space for more such dump sites is scarce as cities themselves expand and alternatives to more efficient waste disposal such as recycling and composting the need of the hour. (Ajay Aggarwal / HT Photo )

Ghazipur is not an exception, most Indian cities are sinking in their own trash. Two of Mumbai’s three landfills --Deonar and Mulund have waste piled up to the height of a four-storey building. Last year, triggered by combustible gases released from disintegrating refuse, the dumpsite at Deonar caught fire. The plumes of smoke were visible from space. (Bachchan Kumar / HT Photo)

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Ghazipur is not an exception, most Indian cities are sinking in their own trash. Two of Mumbai’s three landfills --Deonar and Mulund have waste piled up to the height of a four-storey building. Last year, triggered by combustible gases released from disintegrating refuse, the dumpsite at Deonar caught fire. The plumes of smoke were visible from space. (Bachchan Kumar / HT Photo)

Landfills stink and present serious health and ecological hazards. The Waste Atlas 2014 quoted a study by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) stating that people living in neighbourhoods abutting the Deonar dump in Mumbai were exposed to formaldehyde, a carcinogenic compound. (Danish Siddiqui / Reuters)

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Landfills stink and present serious health and ecological hazards. The Waste Atlas 2014 quoted a study by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) stating that people living in neighbourhoods abutting the Deonar dump in Mumbai were exposed to formaldehyde, a carcinogenic compound. (Danish Siddiqui / Reuters)

In Kolkata, the oldest landfill at Dhapa is permanently on fire. The fuming trash piles have scaled the 50-foot danger mark and municipality officials worry about an imminent collapse. Earlier this monsoon, one of the five 50-metre mounds at Ahmedabad’s Pirana dump site gave away, burying four vehicles. (Subhendu Ghosh / HT Photo)

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In Kolkata, the oldest landfill at Dhapa is permanently on fire. The fuming trash piles have scaled the 50-foot danger mark and municipality officials worry about an imminent collapse. Earlier this monsoon, one of the five 50-metre mounds at Ahmedabad’s Pirana dump site gave away, burying four vehicles. (Subhendu Ghosh / HT Photo)

Fumes and odour from the Deonar dump yard caused respiratory ailments among locals. In Bengaluru, groundwater contamination around Mandur landfill made residents ill and damaged crops. (Prashant Waydande / HT Photo)

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Fumes and odour from the Deonar dump yard caused respiratory ailments among locals. In Bengaluru, groundwater contamination around Mandur landfill made residents ill and damaged crops. (Prashant Waydande / HT Photo)

As the search for new landfill sites continues, waste-to-energy plants are being touted as the only alternative. Unfortunately, there is no effective solution to the garbage crisis. In Pune, the municipality spent Rs 20 crore in installing 25 low-capacity (two-five tonnes) waste-to-energy processing plants. Five of these are defunct and the rest run below capacity. (Kunal Patil / HT Photo)

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As the search for new landfill sites continues, waste-to-energy plants are being touted as the only alternative. Unfortunately, there is no effective solution to the garbage crisis. In Pune, the municipality spent Rs 20 crore in installing 25 low-capacity (two-five tonnes) waste-to-energy processing plants. Five of these are defunct and the rest run below capacity. (Kunal Patil / HT Photo)

The only solution is to reduce the load of garbage that requires dumping by minimising waste generation and recycling or processing every possible bit. In 2005, the Pune Municipal Corporation launched a successful pilot project, engaging waste pickers in door-to-door waste collection of trash. Today, out of the 1,700 metric tonnes of waste generated, 122 tonnes of dry waste is collected daily by ragpickers under SWaCH (Solid Waste Collection and Handling Pune Seva Cooperative Limited). (Pratham Gokhale / HT Photo)

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The only solution is to reduce the load of garbage that requires dumping by minimising waste generation and recycling or processing every possible bit. In 2005, the Pune Municipal Corporation launched a successful pilot project, engaging waste pickers in door-to-door waste collection of trash. Today, out of the 1,700 metric tonnes of waste generated, 122 tonnes of dry waste is collected daily by ragpickers under SWaCH (Solid Waste Collection and Handling Pune Seva Cooperative Limited). (Pratham Gokhale / HT Photo)

A woman working at a dry waste collection centre of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike. The good news is that 40–60% of India’s municipal solid waste consists of compostable matter. But to generate quality compost, municipalities have to ensure that wet waste is segregated properly. Mixed waste can add toxicity to the produce, making it harmful for agriculture or gardening. (Arijit Sen / HT Photo)

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A woman working at a dry waste collection centre of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike. The good news is that 40–60% of India’s municipal solid waste consists of compostable matter. But to generate quality compost, municipalities have to ensure that wet waste is segregated properly. Mixed waste can add toxicity to the produce, making it harmful for agriculture or gardening. (Arijit Sen / HT Photo)

Cities such as Bobbili in Andhra Pradesh and Alappuzha and Alleppey in Kerala are using decentralised waste management techniques such as pipe composting, bio-gas units and aerobic bins. One biogas unit can provide fuel for cooking one meal a day, says a Centre for Science and Environment report. Cities which initiated reforms and found success could not have done so without the help of willing citizens. We need to consume less and discard judiciously. (Ajay Aggarwal / HT Photo)

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Cities such as Bobbili in Andhra Pradesh and Alappuzha and Alleppey in Kerala are using decentralised waste management techniques such as pipe composting, bio-gas units and aerobic bins. One biogas unit can provide fuel for cooking one meal a day, says a Centre for Science and Environment report. Cities which initiated reforms and found success could not have done so without the help of willing citizens. We need to consume less and discard judiciously. (Ajay Aggarwal / HT Photo)

about the gallery

India's landfills have been piled up beyond capacity for years. With land to dump garbage finite and building more such sites unfeasible, taking inspiration from Alappuzha, Panaji and Pune and converting trash to compost or biogas and recycling plastic, glass, metals and paper can be one step towards a solution.

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