In India's Sprawling Cities, Landfill Fires Need More Than Just Firefighting

Recently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed a Rs 100 crore fine on Kochi Corporation for environmental compensation and initiated criminal proceedings. Not just in Kochi, but the NGT has failed to address India's broader waste management issue.

Previous interventions such as setting deadlines and imposing fines haven’t worked, but the Tribunal is not the only agency that is supposed to sort India’s SWM problem. 

In a recent session, the NGT reviewed the West Bengal government's half-yearly compliance report dated December 18, 2023. Upon scrutiny, the Tribunal uncovered a concerning revelation regarding waste management practices within the urban local bodies (ULBs) of the state. The collective generation of waste amounted to a staggering 13,469 tonnes per day (TPD), with only 3,300 TPD undergoing processing, leaving a substantial gap of 10,169 TPD in processing capacity. 

NGT pointed at this issue indicating that waste purportedly sent to secure landfills does not meet the processing standards outlined in the MSW Rules of 2016, resulting in a significant waste burden.

Moreover, the Bengal report highlighted that only 6 of the 125 ULBs examined had implemented sound SWM practices, with 58 ULBs lacking proper coverage. With December 2024 set as the deadline for addressing these shortcomings, urgent action is needed to rectify SWM deficiencies in the overlooked ULBs.

India’s SWM Situation: From Generation To Disposal/Recycling

In the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) 2020-2021 report, the most recent in the public realm, India's waste collection efficiency exceeds 90 per cent, with 47 per cent undergoing treatment, 20 per cent directed to landfills, and 30 per cent unaccounted for.

Municipal solid waste comprises 60 per cent biodegradable, 25 per cent non-biodegradable, and 15 per cent inert materials like silt and stone. Understanding collection effectiveness and waste composition is vital for addressing the issue comprehensively.

But, a report by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), cited by the International Trade Administration, paints a contradictory picture. It says India produces 62 million tons (MT) of waste annually, of this, only 43 MT (69 per cent) is collected, with 12 MT (37 per cent) treated before disposal, and the remaining 31 MT (50 per cent) directly discarded into dump yards.

Much of the waste remains untreated and unaccounted for, posing significant environmental and public health risks due to insufficient collection, transport, treatment, and disposal systems.

Furthermore, a study in the Journal of Urban Management (December 2021) cited by the International Trade Administration, reveals that of the 62 MT of waste generated annually in India, 7.9 MT is hazardous, 5.6 MT is plastic, 1.5 MT is e-waste, and 0.17 MT is biomedical waste. The CPCB predicts a surge in annual waste generation to 165 MT by 2030, with a proportional increase in hazardous, plastic, e-waste, and biomedical waste.

Given the contradictory data, and given all scenarios, it underscores the urgency of addressing India's waste management challenges.

The Smoke And The Fire

Carelessly discarded lighters, aerosols, and other inflammable items that mingle with dry and compostable waste end up igniting fires that rapidly engulf vast areas, Venkoji Rao, who worked with the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation for nearly 40 years, said. 

Venkoji told The Secretariat that unprocessed compostable waste emits continuous streams of methane, powering the flames further. Broken glass catalyses and magnifies the heat and transforms the minor fires into infernos. Moreover, escalating temperatures due to climate change add to the heightened fire risks.

He said landfill fires only highlight some of the major underlying structural issues with waste management in India. "The fire", he said, was "only the smoke. The actual fire is somewhere else".

Pushkara SV, a seasoned SWM expert from Bengaluru with over a decade of senior consultancy experience, underscores the primacy of establishing robust systems. He contends municipalities cannot reasonably expect citizens to segregate waste without first implementing a comprehensive waste management infrastructure, encompassing generation, collection, transportation, processing, treatment, and disposal. 

Pushkara says local governments should focus more on waste handling and processing, rather than mere collection. Implementing sorting sheds, disinfection protocols, and efficient bagging systems are pivotal in averting a plethora of adverse environmental and health repercussions, while also curbing landfill expansion. 

It becomes evident that a significant portion of waste remains untreated or inert. Furthermore, the two experts advocate reinstatement of dump yards, originally intended for scientific landfill disposal following municipal waste management rules of 2016. They argue that citizen participation in waste segregation efforts wanes without these essential processes in place.

Waste Management To Resource Management

Pushkara suggests a fundamental shift in perspective, urging the transformation of "waste management" into "resource management". Emphasising the importance of altering the approach to collection, processing, treatment, and disposal, he asserts proper segregation and processing yield not only health and environmental benefits, but also economic opportunities for waste collectors and ragpickers.

Additionally, separating biodegradable waste from non-biodegradables, such as glass and plastic, not only enhances monetisation, but also reduces environmental impact and landfill costs.

Venkoji agrees, lamenting that the failure to segregate and process biodegradable waste has led to 60 per cent of its potential squandering. He calls for a return of biodegradables to farms to bolster agricultural yields, highlighting the economic benefits of proper waste management.

Why Do We Fail 

Establishing processing plants needs substantial land, budget allocations, specialised machinery, and ancillary facilities for effective operation. While Indore, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru have made strides in establishing processing facilities, Pushkara says aligning their capacity with daily waste generation rates remains a formidable hurdle.

Venkoji identifies community opposition as an obstacle to plant establishment, with people usually citing noise and odour as impacting aesthetic and real estate value. He says land selection should be made carefully, far from water bodies, and capable of expansion while addressing citizens' fears.

Despite these challenges, there are positive developments. Harsadrai Solanki, Director of SWM Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, notes significant composting capabilities, both manual and automated, with Indore and Bengaluru showcasing visible improvements in waste segregation due to large-scale composting initiatives.

However, while Bengaluru has been processing waste for decades, the ratio of waste collection to processing and treatment remains suboptimal across cities. 

Solanki says cities such as Delhi and Mumbai generate around 7,000 and 5,000 tons respectively, whereas Ahmedabad and similar cities are at approximately 3,500 tons. He says smaller cities must swiftly develop capacities to manage their waste effectively as waste generation increases. 

Dealing With Fire 

Pushkara says processing plants can lead to a decrease in the size of landfills. Moreover, he emphasises the segregation of wet and dry waste due to its disparate characteristics, which affect leakage, gas emissions, and susceptibility to reactions or fires. He pushes for adopting seasonal segregation techniques to optimise waste management practices.

In contrast, Venkoji proposes macro-level solutions, urging the government to adopt a more strategic land selection approach for processing and treatment plants. He suggests governments should take the initiative to establish more processing and composting facilities.

Lastly, he prioritises citizen engagement in waste segregation at the source as a crucial step toward comprehensive waste management.

While accountability for state leaders is crucial, the greater concern lies in addressing the persistent issue of urban health. The recent fires, stemming from either delayed responses or ongoing denial and ignorance regarding solid waste management, have underscored one of India's most pressing urban challenges. 

These incidents reflect a culmination of critical structural factors including civic behaviours, piecemeal reforms, caste dynamics, and waste management beliefs, which demand comprehensive attention beyond the realm of state governance and relevant laws.