Solid waste management in India

Solid waste management in India is an emerging and engaging area of study. However, the picture is often confusing and solutions fuzzy as information available in public domain is either scanty or scattered. This paper attempts to put together available information and analyse macro-tissues facing the Indian Techno-managers. Though core of the paper is built around urban solid wastes, a comparison with rural wastes is also provided. The comparison serves to highlight inherent strength of traditional knowledge systems in coping with rural wastes but also outlines the scope for modern S & T inputs. A separate section also outlines specificities of solid waste management in the Himalayan region. A series of conclusions and recommendations are reached after analysing the urban solid waste scenario.