Stop burning waste, manage it scientifically

Collaborative action required

Effective waste management is crucial for maintaining public health and enhancing environmental quality. Collaboration between district administration and residents is necessary to improve the situation. The administration should take proactive measures by establishing a municipal solid waste management plant to address waste collection, transportation, treatment and disposal through the Municipal Corporation (MC). However, the MC authorities face challenges related to unsanitary conditions and heaps of garbage piling up in public places, parks and streets. These issues may be attributed to political interference, a shortage of sweepers, unresolved grievances of contractual sweepers, inadequate infrastructure, a crunch of financial resources and insufficient institutional capacity. All these factors have impeded the MC authorities’ ability to hire alternative workers, deploy garbage clearance machinery and enforce waste management rules and regulations. These include implementing fines and penalties to prevent people from littering and dumping debris or garbage in public places. Moreover, there is a lack of public initiative to motivate the residents to segregate garbage at the source and to encourage the use of recyclable and biodegradable materials. MC should offer rebates on bills and taxes and provide rewards for residents who keep their surroundings clean and green. There is a need to bind the vacant plot holders in urban areas to maintain proper boundary walls of their property within a specific timeframe. As a result, the MC struggles with large volumes of waste, leading to overloaded landfills that are unscientifically managed and often located near densely populated areas like the one near Waryana in Jalandhar city. Certainly, residents who violate and inflict harm on the environment should be held accountable and penalised. Addressing such pressing issues should be a priority for the administration.

Kulwant Singh Phull

Civic body must be responsive

With consistent efforts to check the burning of residual bio-waste after harvest, there has been a significant decline in such cases by farmers. However, the issue of domestic garbage disposal remains unaddressed despite it being a major source of air pollution. Heaps of household waste lie piled up in front of houses and on streets due to irregular collection and transportation, emanating foul smells all around. The municipal bodies have been conspicuously negligent in maintaining the desired hygiene as there is a colossal increase in domestic waste and a continued scarcity of disposal dumps in many cities. Mechanical methods meant to replace manual scavenging have not succeeded due to stiff opposition from safai workers who fear job losses. Even more surprising is the reckless attitude of residents, who often blame farmers for stubble burning and the government for civic problems, but themselves remain non-serious towards the segregation of waste into solid and wet components for easier decomposition. At several places, households behave so irresponsibly that they set ablaze domestic waste for disposal in vacant spaces across streets and roads. This not only affects the surrounding environment adversely but also adds to the heat of summer. The consequent deterioration of air quality spreads severe health hazards among humans and other living beings, which is a cause for great concern. To overcome the problem, an integrated approach for regular collection and efficient management of domestic waste is the ardent need of the hour. Apart from this, technological solutions are the appropriate way forward for the quick and sustainable disposal of bio-waste. Alongside, the government must take strict action against violators indulging in garbage fires and causing desecration of the environment. Earnest safeguards must also be ensured near dumping sites so that no one engages in even casual mischief, such as the recent blaze at the Waryana garbage dump in Jalandhar. Additionally, the local sanitary department must be more responsive and ensure the spraying of disinfectants at regular intervals in vulnerable areas to prevent the outbreak of vector-borne diseases. Garbage disposal and climate protection must be accorded top priority. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, launched with the objective of beautifying the cities and keeping them clean, needs further acceleration. Every effort necessary for the safety of living creatures must be undertaken holistically—even if it involves deterrent action to keep the air and water clean.

Nirmaljit Singh Chatrath

Develop habit of recycling

Summer is on its way and this time should be full of joy and the excitement of a warm and moist atmosphere. However, the recent increase in fires at the Wariana dump has turned it into a veritable inferno—an epitome of fire in butter. The most pressing issue is that ordinary people who blame farmers for everything are actually the largest contributors to the declining Air Quality Index (AQI) in the district. There is a common misconception among citizens that stubble burning is the sole reason for the rise in temperature. However, an overlooked fact is that burning harmful plastics and garbage in the open air is far more vicious and dangerous for the AQI. People loiter around casually in Punjab and once everything is burned down, the entire state is filled with biochemical fumes, forcing the same people to breathe in this polluted air. This is not only one of the primary causes of diseases such as asthma and other respiratory issues, but it is also, in the long term, reducing life expectancy in the otherwise flourishing state of Punjab. The solution is not that complicated. The masses need to understand that the farmers are not the reason for their suffering—they themselves are the culprits. Several awareness camps, write-ups in newspapers, discussions on news channels, and posts on different social media platforms are all conveying similar messages and solutions in one way or another. But it is we, the citizens, who need to act upon those steps for the betterment of our atmosphere. People need to stop loitering and start acting. They must develop the habit of recycling almost everything they use. Single-use plastics should be reduced to zero. If the people do not understand this in time, the summer could become tantalizing and torturous for the entire province.

Lakshit Jindal

Spread awareness on waste segregation

Massive blazing of garbage mounds is a serious situation that can be dangerous to people living nearby. The environment is also severely affected due to the emission of toxic fumes. These garbage mounds are not just a health hazard but represent a major civic failure. We are often in the habit of blaming farmers for stubble burning, but garbage burning is far more dangerous and worse than stubble burning. It leads to respiratory issues, cancer and other serious diseases. Regular burning of garbage is the result of poor urban planning, a failed waste management system and a lack of civic accountability. Fires from these heaps can spread to nearby houses and become extremely dangerous and even fatal. The question arises: How and why do such large mounds of waste accumulate in the first place? Why is waste segregation not done at the source? This is a big issue and people remain disinterested in segregation simply because regular waste collection is not carried out. Such massive garbage mounds should not happen in the first place—daily processing must be ensured. Residents have both a responsibility and a role in preventing such conditions. Awareness about segregation (wet and dry), biodegradable waste and plastic recycling must be spread at the mohalla level, community level and through local meetings to educate people.

Shashi Kiran

Zero tolerance for garbage burning

The unabated practice of setting mounds of garbage and leaves on fire by irresponsible residents and unscrupulous municipal staff poses a serious threat to our already vulnerable environment. Even more worrisome is the fact that city garbage dumps are frequently set ablaze in the absence of any scientific system for waste disposal and recycling. The menace of garbage burning in urban areas is far more alarming than the practice of stubble burning, which is adopted illegally by some farmers. While crop residue burning is seasonal, garbage burning in cities continues throughout the year, despite it being declared illegal by the Pollution Control Board (PCB). This dangerous practice must be stopped immediately to protect people from serious diseases caused by worsening air quality. Burning garbage leads to the emission of highly toxic gases that pollute the air beyond redemption. The administration must now awaken to this alarming situation and adopt strict measures to eliminate this menace entirely. While it is critical to implement the latest scientific methods for city garbage management, it is equally essential to enforce zero tolerance towards the burning of any type of garbage anywhere in the city. For this purpose, a permanent control room must be established to monitor real-time violations, ensure quick redressal of public grievances and facilitate on-the-spot punishment of the guilty.

Jagdish Chander

Set UP compost pits near parks

Burning waste is the biggest harm that can be done to environment. It is common in city to spot even safai karamcharis burning up piles of dry leaves on roadsides almost every morning. Municipal Corporation authorities must issue strict instructions to the road sweepers, not to indulge in such a practice. Ideally, these leaves should be dumped in pits dug up in corners of the park in different localities. The compost thus formed of these leaves can be used in park or by nearby residents to nourish the plants.

Jasleen Kaur

Check waste accumulation

There are several plots in PUDA Complex on Ladowali Road in Jalandhar, where the owners have not constructed shop cum offices. The civic body charges hefty non-construction charges from the owners of these plots but pays no heed to check accumulation of waste in them. The waste in the plots becomes an eyesore and makes the entire market stinky. Therefore, setting waste on fire has become a practice. The onus of the problem thus falls jointly on the plot owners, shopkeepers and PUDA authorities. The authorities must get the plots cleared at the earliest to avoid any such burning of waste.

Dilpreet Singh

Punjab