CHAPTER- V SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT OF KUMARGRAMDUAR BLOCK : A SOCIO-LEGAL PERSPECTIVE 5.1. INTRODUCTION : Human beings maintain higher ~tandards of living now-a-days all over the globe. So diverse varieties or waste are generated. Kumargramduar Block is no exception to this. In Kumargramduar Block. waste is produced in wider place as it is due to lack of awareness and proper knO\vledge about handling the matters. Solid waste is the waste material that is solid and n()t liquid. It is de lined by Prof. (Dr.) Priya Ranjan Trivedi. a distinguished emimnmcntalist as ·non-liquid \\aste materials arising from domestic, trade. commerciaL industrial, agriculture and mining activities and from the public service. 1 In Kumargramduar Block. solid waste ~1re generate !i·om the different segments of economy namely domestic. animal husbandry. agriculture. tea-industry. market places. other localities and semi-urbun commercial hubs uf Kumargramduar. Barobisha and Kamakhyaguri. Solid '' asle is mostly bio-degradable and non-bio­ degradable. The management of solid \\astc is essential method to solve the health hazards of this block by means of generation of <:nvareness, scientific methods and administrative-legal initiatives. 5.2. SOLID WASTE- A HAZARD TO ENVIRONMENT Solid waste is a health hazard nnt only for the human beings but also for all kinds of f1ora and fauna. It affects cnYironrncnt severely. The impact or solid vvaste is for long times. Human civilization appear~ in l!·ont of utter disaster due to human created solid waste. It is ruining human society bitterly. It is creating so many health problems in front of human beings namely skin diseases, cancer. hlood abnormalities. hemorrhagic diseases. changes in lungs. C\ c diseases. cataract and reproducti \ c failure etc. ln Kumargramduar Block. there are three semi-urban commercial hubs namely Kumargramduar. Barobisha and Kamakhyaguri Census Town. These three WEST BENGAL C.D. BLOCK KUMARGRAM POLICE STATION KUMARGR AM DISTRICT JALPAIGURI H (J /' T . ' A I N A / ) 0 '" (L \'lj I .-...-1 " +-~rr.•·')'•i<Hlf.ll~ PQt:\f ~TATION 200-499, ~ •. ,., 'FJ·• 10r.n. <1 <J'J'J •, 1·.oo ' 1.8011( •••• i..'R8AN AIR( A WlfH LOC•\ TIQN COO( NUMBER ~;~ 0 -'<..'\TIONAt. H!GHWIJY 1r(H llC :MPDFIT A'•' 1.11 • ~; .r.. -:.... .:.:.:.-.. I IH ~.II HCc,p.t M(. >"li;y; •·' iS T R' KOCH B! H A F ~ "\ t. hubs are producing a large quantity ul sulic.! \\ asLc in every week. !'he following table presents data on solid wastes in th~ abm c commercial hubs. ; Wastes I Person I Week (Aver~e} Name of Semi-urban : Vegetables Area . l Waste Commercial hubs of Population or Plast1cs 1 W t Others (in : a er Kumargramduar (2001) Putrescible C , (in 10 1 Hect.) ) . r10 Block Matter (in gm. 1 Itrs.) kg.) I I IF=========~==·...J.=f""_=-~~·=4 ... ~- --~- . Kumargramduar i 549.69 • -+872 1.)- ~--·-t-~---~-~-t----·- t -~-- -----6~- ___ ~___:_ li:Q_j __LL~I Barobisha ! 720.43 ' 3867 1.8 14.2 : 7.6 1: --+-------- - +·-- - ···~~~--·--,! Uttar 1 Kamakhyaguri i Census Town ! 350.80 . I 0544 2.4 I 14 14.8 I 7.0 I I ~ known as I li ~ Kamakhyaguri) L __L__ _j Jl Tah/e-8 (prepared by author! · Wuste generated per >veek by a person in three semi-urban u i/1/IIJerciul huh' ol Kumargramduur /Jiock. From the above table, amongst the three semi-urban hubs of Kumargramduar Block, Kamakhyaguri Census Town is the highest solid waste generated area of the block. The waste of vegetables and putrescible matter is generated average 2.4 kg. at ·Kamakhyaguri Census Town' by each person in every week. At Barobisha, the amount is about 1.8 kg. The wask ul vcg.ctables and other purtrescible matter is generated the lowest amount at Kurnargramduar (i.e. 1.5 kg person .. week). The plastic waste is produced in huge amount at ·Kamakhyaguri Census Town' (i.e. 14gm I person I week). Due to available in communication facilities by road and rail links. the largest populated semi-urban area amnng the entire block (population I 0544, Census- 2001), only degree collegl' ol :he block (i.e. Kamakhyaguri Saheed Kshudiram Mahavidyalaya). rural hospital and other modern amenities. majority of the people of the entire block and uut~ide the neighbouring area depend ·Kamakhyaguri Census Town for their livelihood and basic services. The plastic waste is produced about 6 gm. and X gm by every person in every week at Kumargramduar and Barobisha respective!;. As waste water is not included into s()l id wask. so rrt<.~Juril> segments of solid waste is generated along with the waste water especially by household activities, animal husbandry and shops. And for the easy understanding of the matter, the author mentions in the above table the amounts ()r \\ aste water generated by e\ ery person in every week. Waste water is produced about 1-LR litre by each person in every week at ·Kamakbyaguri Census Town· Ncarh 14 0 litre and 14.2 litre are generated by every person in every week at Kumargramduar and Barobisha respectively. Due to modern amenities and apathy or thl' must ur thl· ,.ill11lllon masses. solid \"- astc is generated hugely day-by-day in the entire hlock.. Solid waste is, at present, a bio-social problem in entire Kumargramduar Block along with other areas or the Suh-Himalayan belt of West Bengal. Amongst the total pollution levels of Kumargramduar Block (Table-r ). domestic, agriculture and industry are responsible of pollution nearly 36%, 30~o and 20°i<J respectively. The wastes are generating t!·om the different sources. The wastes generating from different segments of livelihood are given in table as follows : Name of Segments of \ Percentage livelihood Types of Waste Generated of Waste (% of total pollution Generation level) 1 I. DOMESTIC OR I ( i) Food W<~stc 11.88 HOUSHOLD ( i i) Cloth, rags 3.60 (iii) Waste Paper 5.76 (36%) ( iv) Plastics 6.12 (v) Ash 5.40 ·. (vi) Cilas;; (broken) 1.44 ! (vii) Others -----· .. r----1_.8_0_-11 lt-2-.-A_G_R_IC_U_L_T_U_R--E-n i) Plastics and other packaging 11.25 ! (INCLUDING materials 8.25 I ANIMAL . ( ii) Residues or plant material (post­ ') ') - I HUSBANDRY) harvesting) ~."') i tl (iii) Vegetable/ f(:>dder part , 6.75 I I· (30%) : (i\) Cattle's excreta i (v) Others +--~.·. 1:~50,! 13 INDUSTRY ·--w-rlasti~~~~~-~d~~ther packaging : 7.10 (INCLUDINCJ . materials 2.40 TEA \ ii 1 R,:-;idlll'': .11' plant materials alter ,I 1! INDUSTR )'. :-.izi11g the plantation and broken SHOPS AND :,mall parts of the shed-trees or 2.70 MARKET the garden 1.30 PLACES) (iii) h1ctory rubbish 2.50 ( i\ ) Dust ;1nd ''lhn micro-orga11ic 0.80 (20%) \\ <l'>lC'· 0.40 (\) w~hll' papt:r 1.00 (vi) Hull .dtcr usc ks o.so 1 . (Vii) I ,gg-,hl'll~ . (viii) len Lea\cs (ix) l·uod I] Residues i tx).. o.C:!~~E~~··~~ ·=~- Table-9 (prepared by author) : Waslt' gent'rati!dkom dijferent segments oflivelihood. From the above table. plastic '' aste i-., generated the highest le\ el from total sources of domestic, agriculture. agriculture and industry related activities (24.4 7% ). Amongst domestic or household activities besides plastic wastes food waste (11.88%) is the highest type of solid waste and broken glass (1.44%) is the lowest type of solid waste. Besides these, cloth or rags. waste paper, plastics and ash are generated from the domestic source nearly 3.60°'o, 5.76°/u. C1.!2% and 5.40°/rJ respectively. Agriculture is the secunJ largest source of generation of solid vvastc in Kumargramduar Block of the Sub-Himalayan tracts of West Bengal. In the entire block only 7013.60 hectres area (9.95%) :.m~ used for cultivation excluding the tea gardens. The total area of tea gardens is l X507.73 hectre in this block (26.26%). Agriculture including animal husbandry generates plastics and other packaging materials, plant residues (post-harvesting). vegetable and fodder part and cattle's excreta nearly 11.25%. 8.25%. 2.25% and 6 75% respectively. Industry comprises tea-industry, pottery. beedi-manuEicluring. dolomite-mining. stone-crushing. beckary, food and beverage etc. From the industry. plastics and other packaging materials are the largest solid waste materials (7. 10%). Besides plant residues, factor rubbish. dust and other micru-orgunic \\ ash.:s. waste paper, bottle (alter use). egg shelL tea-leaves, food residues arc comprised o! near!; 2.40%. 2.70(~(J, 1.30%, 2.50%, 0.80%. 0.40%, I .00% and 0.80% respective!) Solid waste generated from shops and market places are included into the solid wastes produced frorn industries. Because shops and market places are closely imerlinkcd \Vith industries. People use plastics for their day-to-d<l\ activities. They use plastic carry bags. plastic covers containers and so many substances. Plastics are non-degradable synthetic organic pollutants. These are 11\ll hruken hy natural purifying processes. Plastics obstruct the growth of the roots uf trees in the soil. These inhibit soil-texture. Plastic substances degrade water quality of the underground water level and the rivers. lakes. ponds etc or the aren \lr -;tuch. So the enforcement agencies should strictly enforce the prmisium, \)r llw ·Rl'C\ckd PL!stics IV!:Jnul~lcturc cmd Usage Rules, 1993' (as amended in 2003) for the henellt of the ecology uf the region. It is, at present. hopeful that the \1inistry of Em ironment and Forests (MOEF). Government of India has isslJ(:d recenth a public notice regarding the proposal for replacement of the existing rule and preparation of the proposed new rule as 'Plastics (Manufacture. Usage and \Vaste Management) Rules, 2009' 2 for strictly enforcement or the ruk tu ~_:,Jntrul the plastic hazards in the natural environment.