There are close to 5100 odd municipalities across India wherein the problem of municipal solid wa... more There are close to 5100 odd municipalities across India wherein the problem of municipal solid waste (MSW) management has reached critical dimensions. It is estimated that 285 million urban population in India ( ≈ 28 % of the total population) is generating almost 120,000 MT/d of MSW. The urban local bodies (ULBs) in their efforts to safeguard public health are incurring between Rs. 800-1500/MT of solid waste for collection, treatment and disposal and this activity alone accounts for almost 30- 50 % of a typical municipal budget. There are significant issues related to primary collection, transportation, treatment and safe disposal which impact sustainability and viability of the entire chain of operations. A number of ULBs have gone about setting up treatment plants under the paradigm of ‘waste to energy ’ and ‘waste to wealth ’ with the presumption of that being an end in itself. The paradigm of ‘safeguarding environment and public health ’ is often found to be relegated to a seco...
With experience of over a decade and half of UASB for sewage treatment in the country, a number o... more With experience of over a decade and half of UASB for sewage treatment in the country, a number of inherent limitations of the technology in particular and that of anaerobic processes in general have been realised. Fundamentally attempting to generate energy or achieve improvement in wastewater quality without commensurate energy inputs is in violation of the second law of thermodynamics. Municipal sewage being a high entropy material with low organic loads, it is not suitable as a feedstock for an apparent ‘liquid bioreactor’ promising reliable output of energy. The ‘Initial Oxygen Demand ’ of effluent from a UASB reactor has potential to sweep the dissolved oxygen of receiving water bodies in a very short period of time. Post treatment requirement prima facie negate the smaller footprint advantage often claimed by its proponents. The energy generation feature which was considered to be its unique selling proposition is not found to be a sustainable avenue either, because of low an...
With increasing population pressure in the cities and towns across India, clearing the backlog, a... more With increasing population pressure in the cities and towns across India, clearing the backlog, and improving and maintaining sanitation service levels has become increasingly challenging. Water borne human excreta disposal through conventional sewerage system is expensive and increasingly infeasible for congested, small plot habitations which experience low or declining service levels of water supply. Although this represents the higher order technology option, it is increasingly being questioned because of its water intensive feature. In areas where onsite sanitation is technically not feasible and where conventional sewerage is financially unaffordable, simplified sewerage as an intermediate technology solution offers an appropriate option. Successful experience of over 20 years in Latin American countries has positioned this technology as an important and only feasible option for periurban areas and low income settlements. A small municipality of Ramagundam (Andhra Pradesh, Indi...
Asit Nema Foundation for Greentech Environmental Systems G178, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi 110 076 e-... more Asit Nema Foundation for Greentech Environmental Systems G178, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi 110 076 e-mail : greentech@airtelbroadband.in ABSTRACT Windrow composting technology is known to have strong odour emission feature as a result of which the plants based on this technology often experience resistance from the community where they are set up. The odour envelope that develops expands over a radius of 2-3 km around the plant and causes adverse psychosomatic health impacts on the residents. This is attributed to creation of anaerobic conditions in the core of the windrows which is essentially due to inadequate energy inputs for meeting the commensurate oxygen requirement of the rotting waste. Several plants have been closed down primarily due this reason and one of the most pertinent examples is that of Thane near Mumbai. In order to improve acceptance of the plants among the host communities, it is desirable to mitigate their environmental impact by incorporating essential pollution ...
Asit Nema Foundation for Greentech Environmental Systems G-178, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi, India 11... more Asit Nema Foundation for Greentech Environmental Systems G-178, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi, India 110 076 ABSTRACT There are close to 5100 odd municipalities across India wherein the problem of municipal solid waste (MSW) management has reached critical dimensions. It is estimated that 285 million urban population in India (≈ 28% of the total population) is generating almost 120,000 MT/d of MSW. The urban local bodies (ULBs) in their efforts to safeguard public health are incurring between Rs. 800-1500/MT of solid waste for collection, treatment and disposal and this activity alone accounts for almost 3050% of a typical municipal budget. There are significant issues related to primary collection, transportation, treatment and safe disposal which impact sustainability and viability of the entire chain of operations. A number of ULBs have gone about setting up treatment plants under the paradigm of ‘waste to energy’ and ‘waste to wealth’ with the presumption of that being an end in itsel...
There are close to 5100 odd municipalities across India wherein the problem of treatment and safe... more There are close to 5100 odd municipalities across India wherein the problem of treatment and safe disposal of municipal solid waste has become extremely challenging and reaching critical dimensions. It is estimated that the 285 million strong urban population (≈ 28% of the total population) is generating almost 120,000 MT/d of MSW. A number of municipalities in the country have gone about setting up treatment plants in the past and many more are planning to establish similar facilities in the near future under the ongoing centrally sponsored programmes. The technologies that have been attempted during last 3 decades are windrow composting, mass burn, combustion of refuse derived fuel (RDF), biomethanation, and couple of large scale and several small scale vermicomposting initiatives. Because the plants apparently produce a value added output (compost, biogas, electricity), they were perceived to be like typical industrial enterprises which could sustain themselves through revenue fr...
The Government of India has made increased funding available for sanitation infrastructure via th... more The Government of India has made increased funding available for sanitation infrastructure via the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. These resources are sorely needed, but money alone cannot solve the problem; municipal agencies need sound technical advice on the planning of new investments and the delivery of sanitation services. This guide aims to meet some of those needs by providing advice on the selection of technology options for urban sanitation, whether for new infrastructure or the upgrading of existing services. The guide has been written for both technical and nontechnical professionals responsible for urban sanitation. The guide comprises four parts: Part A sets technology selection in the context of the range of issues and challenges that urban sanitation programs need to address. Part B provides an introduction to sanitation technology for nontechnical specialists. Part C sets out a logical process for technology selection, both for new services and upgr...
Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA, 2009
Across India, all small and large urban local bodies (ULB) alike are grappling with the problem o... more Across India, all small and large urban local bodies (ULB) alike are grappling with the problem of municipal solid waste (MSW), which has reached critical dimensions because of, among others, rapidly increasing quantities and complex characteristics, inadequate regulation, lack of awareness, concern and cooperation on the part of the urban residents, limited resources for collection, transport and safe disposal, and limited expertise on the part of the ULBs. A number of ULBs have attempted to address the two-fold constraint of resources and land by setting up treatment plants under the premise of generating revenue and reducing liability of safe disposal. Over the last three decades, under the paradigms of converting 'waste to energy' and 'waste to wealth' various technologies have been tried out, however time and again it is seen that irrespective of the technology, MSW treatment plants run in to difficulties and/or close down. The issues do not pertain just to tech...
There are close to 5100 odd municipalities across India wherein the problem of municipal solid wa... more There are close to 5100 odd municipalities across India wherein the problem of municipal solid waste (MSW) management has reached critical dimensions. It is estimated that 285 million urban population in India ( ≈ 28 % of the total population) is generating almost 120,000 MT/d of MSW. The urban local bodies (ULBs) in their efforts to safeguard public health are incurring between Rs. 800-1500/MT of solid waste for collection, treatment and disposal and this activity alone accounts for almost 30- 50 % of a typical municipal budget. There are significant issues related to primary collection, transportation, treatment and safe disposal which impact sustainability and viability of the entire chain of operations. A number of ULBs have gone about setting up treatment plants under the paradigm of ‘waste to energy ’ and ‘waste to wealth ’ with the presumption of that being an end in itself. The paradigm of ‘safeguarding environment and public health ’ is often found to be relegated to a seco...
With experience of over a decade and half of UASB for sewage treatment in the country, a number o... more With experience of over a decade and half of UASB for sewage treatment in the country, a number of inherent limitations of the technology in particular and that of anaerobic processes in general have been realised. Fundamentally attempting to generate energy or achieve improvement in wastewater quality without commensurate energy inputs is in violation of the second law of thermodynamics. Municipal sewage being a high entropy material with low organic loads, it is not suitable as a feedstock for an apparent ‘liquid bioreactor’ promising reliable output of energy. The ‘Initial Oxygen Demand ’ of effluent from a UASB reactor has potential to sweep the dissolved oxygen of receiving water bodies in a very short period of time. Post treatment requirement prima facie negate the smaller footprint advantage often claimed by its proponents. The energy generation feature which was considered to be its unique selling proposition is not found to be a sustainable avenue either, because of low an...
With increasing population pressure in the cities and towns across India, clearing the backlog, a... more With increasing population pressure in the cities and towns across India, clearing the backlog, and improving and maintaining sanitation service levels has become increasingly challenging. Water borne human excreta disposal through conventional sewerage system is expensive and increasingly infeasible for congested, small plot habitations which experience low or declining service levels of water supply. Although this represents the higher order technology option, it is increasingly being questioned because of its water intensive feature. In areas where onsite sanitation is technically not feasible and where conventional sewerage is financially unaffordable, simplified sewerage as an intermediate technology solution offers an appropriate option. Successful experience of over 20 years in Latin American countries has positioned this technology as an important and only feasible option for periurban areas and low income settlements. A small municipality of Ramagundam (Andhra Pradesh, Indi...
Asit Nema Foundation for Greentech Environmental Systems G178, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi 110 076 e-... more Asit Nema Foundation for Greentech Environmental Systems G178, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi 110 076 e-mail : greentech@airtelbroadband.in ABSTRACT Windrow composting technology is known to have strong odour emission feature as a result of which the plants based on this technology often experience resistance from the community where they are set up. The odour envelope that develops expands over a radius of 2-3 km around the plant and causes adverse psychosomatic health impacts on the residents. This is attributed to creation of anaerobic conditions in the core of the windrows which is essentially due to inadequate energy inputs for meeting the commensurate oxygen requirement of the rotting waste. Several plants have been closed down primarily due this reason and one of the most pertinent examples is that of Thane near Mumbai. In order to improve acceptance of the plants among the host communities, it is desirable to mitigate their environmental impact by incorporating essential pollution ...
Asit Nema Foundation for Greentech Environmental Systems G-178, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi, India 11... more Asit Nema Foundation for Greentech Environmental Systems G-178, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi, India 110 076 ABSTRACT There are close to 5100 odd municipalities across India wherein the problem of municipal solid waste (MSW) management has reached critical dimensions. It is estimated that 285 million urban population in India (≈ 28% of the total population) is generating almost 120,000 MT/d of MSW. The urban local bodies (ULBs) in their efforts to safeguard public health are incurring between Rs. 800-1500/MT of solid waste for collection, treatment and disposal and this activity alone accounts for almost 3050% of a typical municipal budget. There are significant issues related to primary collection, transportation, treatment and safe disposal which impact sustainability and viability of the entire chain of operations. A number of ULBs have gone about setting up treatment plants under the paradigm of ‘waste to energy’ and ‘waste to wealth’ with the presumption of that being an end in itsel...
There are close to 5100 odd municipalities across India wherein the problem of treatment and safe... more There are close to 5100 odd municipalities across India wherein the problem of treatment and safe disposal of municipal solid waste has become extremely challenging and reaching critical dimensions. It is estimated that the 285 million strong urban population (≈ 28% of the total population) is generating almost 120,000 MT/d of MSW. A number of municipalities in the country have gone about setting up treatment plants in the past and many more are planning to establish similar facilities in the near future under the ongoing centrally sponsored programmes. The technologies that have been attempted during last 3 decades are windrow composting, mass burn, combustion of refuse derived fuel (RDF), biomethanation, and couple of large scale and several small scale vermicomposting initiatives. Because the plants apparently produce a value added output (compost, biogas, electricity), they were perceived to be like typical industrial enterprises which could sustain themselves through revenue fr...
The Government of India has made increased funding available for sanitation infrastructure via th... more The Government of India has made increased funding available for sanitation infrastructure via the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. These resources are sorely needed, but money alone cannot solve the problem; municipal agencies need sound technical advice on the planning of new investments and the delivery of sanitation services. This guide aims to meet some of those needs by providing advice on the selection of technology options for urban sanitation, whether for new infrastructure or the upgrading of existing services. The guide has been written for both technical and nontechnical professionals responsible for urban sanitation. The guide comprises four parts: Part A sets technology selection in the context of the range of issues and challenges that urban sanitation programs need to address. Part B provides an introduction to sanitation technology for nontechnical specialists. Part C sets out a logical process for technology selection, both for new services and upgr...
Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA, 2009
Across India, all small and large urban local bodies (ULB) alike are grappling with the problem o... more Across India, all small and large urban local bodies (ULB) alike are grappling with the problem of municipal solid waste (MSW), which has reached critical dimensions because of, among others, rapidly increasing quantities and complex characteristics, inadequate regulation, lack of awareness, concern and cooperation on the part of the urban residents, limited resources for collection, transport and safe disposal, and limited expertise on the part of the ULBs. A number of ULBs have attempted to address the two-fold constraint of resources and land by setting up treatment plants under the premise of generating revenue and reducing liability of safe disposal. Over the last three decades, under the paradigms of converting 'waste to energy' and 'waste to wealth' various technologies have been tried out, however time and again it is seen that irrespective of the technology, MSW treatment plants run in to difficulties and/or close down. The issues do not pertain just to tech...
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