ASSESSMENT OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN GANGA BASIN-VARANASI: A CASE STUDY

• Author Details:   
• Naveen Kumar Mishra

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As far as river basin cities are concerned they have complete dependency over the river. In Varanasi, issues that require immediate attention to protect and conserve the Ganga River are (i) Garbage Dumping, (ii) Proper Sanitation, and (iii) Proper Sewage Treatment. River pollution means the presence of any foreign substance (organic, inorganic, radiological and biological) in the water of the river, which tends to degrade the quality of water. Though eight Indian states discharge their wastes into the river. In Varanasi also Nagar Nigam sewage constitutes 60 per cent by volume of the total waste that is dumped into the Ganges, and industries contribute about 15 percent of river pollution. The industrial wastes are smaller in volume but they have far more dangerous impacts than the sewage pollution in the river. Both, however, enters in the river largely untreated. Road sweeping waste (75%) and commercial waste comprises the maximum percentage of solid waste generated. Commercial waste is about 80 Million Tons per day Industrial waste is 15 Million Tons per day. As far as the relationship between the garbage and river is concerned there is direct relationship between the garbage and the river Ganga because Ganga is not only polluted by sewage disposal but poor solid waste disposal management is also responsible for the contamination of the river.