KALADWAS IS one of the few Rajasthan villages that offers door-to-door waste collection for all 710 households. For this task, the panchayat has hired two full-time waste collectors with a salary of ₹8,000 a month. The village administration recently even submitted a proposal to the district administration to avail funding for a material recycling facility, which is a setup for large-scale sorting of recyclable waste such as glass and certain reusable plastics like bottles.
Still, non-recyclable plastic products such as polythene bags, plastic cups, plates and wrappers are strewn all over the village. Plastics and other solid waste have clogged all waterbodies and drains and they are regularly burned in the open. Incineration of plastic waste in open fields is a major source of air pollution and such burning releases toxic gases like dioxins, furans, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls into the atmosphere.
"While our household waste is collected daily, we do not know what to do with it. As a result, we end up dumping the waste in the open or burning it," says Nirmal Patel, a 32-year-old resident of the village. He adds that several incidents have been reported in the past when stray animals choked on plastic waste.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 16, 2023 من Down To Earth.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 16, 2023 من Down To Earth.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
FIX OUR FOOD
Chemical-dependent farming, lax labelling laws, rising anti-microbial resistance must top the agenda
BATTLE THE CAR BULGE
Clean, affordable, integrated and accessible public transport the only solution
CONSERVE NOW
Disregard for biodiversity conservation over the past two decades needs immediate redressal
SCRAP THE DUMP
Disincentivise garbage dumping, invest in behavioural change
PLAN THEM COOL
As urban India turns into a heat trap, the government must focus on improving cities' liveability
THINK LONG-TERM
India needs continued emphasis on flagship programmes, aligned to long-term planning that focusses on water security and circular economy in a climate-risked era
OVERHAUL OVERDUE
Hold polluting industries accountable for public health risks, environmental hazards, climate change; provide them support for green transition
LOOK BEYOND DUST
Reinvent National Clean Air Programme to focus on fine particulate matter and trans-boundary pollution
IT'S NOW OR NEVER
Clean energy sectors need demand-driven markets and domestic industries that can cater to the entire value chain
VISION 2030
Economic growth must take into account needs of energy transition, climate mitigation, with action aligned as per India's 2030 climate goals