Municipal Solid Waste Management of Barrackpore Sub-division, West Bengal, India: Challenges and Prospects

Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is a complex, crucial and comprehensive process, associated with the public health and economy. In the Indian context, increasing population pressure and consumerism, exerting an everyday challenge of managing huge volume of solid waste, especially for the Urban Local Bodies (ULB). This study attempted to observe the MSWM models followed by the six municipalities- North Barrackpore, Barrackpore, Titagarh, Khardah, Panihati and Kamarhati, under the Barrackpore sub-division and Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) of West Bengal, India, from 2011 to 2022. Analyses of the municipal data and surveys showed that, rapid increase in the annual solid waste volume ranging from 57.53% to 81.10% over a decade, for each of the ULBs. Despite development in the infrastructural facilities, a gap between the demand and availability of solid waste dumping grounds and management strategies was observed. Unavailability of the proper segregation strategy, plastic recycling facility, engineered sanitary landfilling, scientific incineration, along with the human resources and funding make the MSWM more challenging. Huge production of the biodegradable waste from the households generates a potential for the compost and biogas production, yet to be implemented. Modification in the management strategies, policy reforms along with the public awareness are significant for all the stakeholders. Implementation of Public Private Partnership (PPP) model can boost the strategies overcoming the challenges and risks.