In the last couple of decades global warming and consequential ecological problems have been at the centre stage of all climate change discourse. Even if in varying degrees, all developed and developing nations are bearing the impact of globally rising decadal temperatures. Due to the increasing anomalies in weather cycles globally, nations are negotiating possibilities of maximum reduction in green house gas emissions.
A higher concentration of green house gases in the atmosphere has been linked to melting of glaciers, recurrent flooding, droughts, forest fires and resulting population displacement. However there is an important yet often neglected aspect of this global climate crisis. Thus is the prospect of new and deadlier epidemics which have been emanating in the last few years. A greater threat is that such challenging infectious diseases could only proliferate in complexity and number in the coming years. The two most critical areas which can have a potential impact on human health in contemporary world are - climate change and solid waste management. Both are also intricately linked to one another.
The pandemic of Covid- 19 which the world is currently confronting, is a grim instance of how a rapidly contaminating ecosystem is more susceptible to unprecedented human health problems.
It becomes indispensable therefore that all health risks associated with faulty waste management are eliminated. The present crisis is only a warning to the many more epidemics which can arise due to lacunae in effective waste disposal mechanisms.
At the same time it is also a reminder of the need to build better resilience in the face of such natural disasters should they recur in the future.
Most Asian counties including India are experiencing a demographic trend, where population is becoming rapidly urbanised.
In fact half of the world’s mega cities are presently found in Asia. With a haphazard and rapid urban growth, a plethora of infrastructural -economic problems have come up too. The highly industrialised cities despite being engines of economic growth have also become massive generators of solid waste.
The very relationship between solid waste and climatic problems lays in the faulty and non systematic manner in which the former is dealt with. Most of the urbanised metropolitans in India are seething under this vicious cycle of waste mismanagement and environmental degradation. Only a partial chunk of the total urban waste being generated is collected by the municipal authorities and even this waste is dumped in dump sites and landfills.
In fact the waste sector is an identifiable contributor to the total green house gas emissions in India. The emissions in municipal solid waste sector can be attributed to the burning of waste and decaying in the dumping sites. Such activities lead to the emitting of carbon di oxide as well as methane. The sudden rise in many lung disorders in India in past few years can be attributed to crippling levels of particulate matter pollution in India.
Leachate percolation from landfills into the ground water is also a major source of pollution. The metal residues present in leachate enter the food chain as ground water is often used for drinking and irrigation purposes.
This poses a serious public health hazard. The landfills have also been reported to be a breeding ground for disease hosting organisms. Thus a clean and better organised waste management system has to be implemented with cooperation from various sections in the community. At individual level proper segregation as well as minimisation of waste are practices which can go a long run in reducing the menace. A critical aspect of disease prevention during the present crisis is ensuring the safety of waste collecting personnel.
Despite all preventive measures being implemented by the Government, the threat of further spread of the Covid-19 disease cannot be completely ruled out.
As communities are practicing social distancing and observing the lockdown regulations, the dependence on few essential services is indispensable. Facilities like municipal waste collection have to be carried out compulsorily for the upkeep and hygiene maintenance of the community.
As the waste collection personnel are risking their lives in disposing their duties, it also becomes the duty of all the citizens to facilitate their work by extending utmost cooperation. Any careless disposal of medical waste can be a potential source of COVID-19 infection to the municipal workers and rag-pickers.
People must be educated to dispose off their gloves, tissues, sanitiser bottles and used masks into separate bags. Besides, people must also segregate their household waste into different categories like - organic, dry and bio medical waste.
Such a segregation of waste at source will automatically reduce the need for municipal workers to touch and separate waste manually, thereby ensuring their safety further.
Thus by making informed choices and by ensuring our cooperation to the Government we can prevent the dreaded Covid-19 from spreading its wings further.
Climate change and mismanaged waste are the most tangible caused of communicable diseases. So real resistance and resilience can be achieved by an overhauling of our waste management systems and mitigating other major causes of ecological pollution.
As we fight the Covid-19 pandemic, hoping to recover from its clutches soon, we must be futuristic by learning to treat our ecology with care and respect which it deserves.
(The author is a retired civil servant)