One cubic foot of garbage produces 70,000 flies — Study

Eastern Mirror Desk Dimapur, May 3: An in-depth assessment on the current waste management in Dimapur conducted by the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) and Living for Environment (LiFE), a non-governmental organisation, has revealed that solid organic waste is a major breeding ground for flies that spread diseases. According to the waste assessment report of the DMC and LiFE that was released on April 26, a total of 21 vehicles -- 13 trucks, six tractors and four dumpers -- were used for the assessment that was carried out to evaluate the collection system; waste generated; its composition and characterisation; and impact of waste on water and air. For data compilation of the study, waste was categorised into three: dry, wet and mix waste. “Dry waste comprised of all non-biodegradable waste such as biomedical waste, sanitary waste, e-waste, clothes, shoes, construction and demolition waste, inert to name a few. Wet waste comprised of all biodegradable waste such as kitchen waste, garden waste, poultry waste (slaughter waste), hair to name a few; and mix waste comprised of all types of waste where segregation into either dry or wet waste was not possible”, the report explained. According the report, the top 10 components in dry waste category that will have a drastic affect if prompt and proper measures are not put in place are: sanitary waste (924.01 kg); inert/silts (411.05 kg); construction and demolition waste (344 kg); clothes (274.75 kg); single use plastic (209.02); shoes (159.41 kg); synthetics (128.65 kg); glass (116.5 kg); automotive waste (103.22 kg); and biomedical waste (80.1 kg). In the wet waste category, components that require special attention are: garden waste (1625.15 kg); earth and vegetation (967.9 kg); coconut (321.3 kg); slaughter waste (97.2 kg); sack (85 kg); betel nut/arecanut husk (52.4 kg); hair (34.65 kg); and spit (11.45 kg). The study has revealed that Dimapur municipal area generates an estimate of 111124.56 kg (111.12 tonnes) of waste per day (TPD). Impact of waste on air and water The report stated that owing to the traditional method of disposing waste, the ramifications of solid waste on human health and environment has not been brought to light. This was due to lack of any concrete analysis. It added that about 25 human diseases like cholera, typhoid, gastroenteritis, hepatitis and others are associated with solid waste. Water and solid waste Domestic waste, which is organic in nature, creates conditions favourable for growth of pathogens. Flies, which carry pathogenic organisms, spread disease like dysentery, diarrhoea to name a few. The study said that one cubic foot of garbage produced about 70,000 flies. The report went on to say that separate rules were used while assessing biomedical waste, e-waste, construction and demolition waste, and hazardous waste. “The authorities should take prompt action to treat these wastes in accordance with the rules. Authorities should keep abreast of the current data on the municipal area viz population, number of households, shops, institutions, hotels and restaurants, area size to name a few to determine accurate waste generation data including per capita data,” it stated.