Current World Environment

The quantity of solid waste produced in city depends on the type of the city, its population, living standards of the residents and degree of commercialization and various activities prevailing in the city. The generation of waste mainly depends on the increase in population and the type of activity. Improper municipal solid waste management (MSWM) causes various health hazards and leads to environmental degradation. The present paper highlights the existing status of the municipal solid waste management in the three municipalities of Manipur – Imphal, Thoubal and Bishnupur Municipality. The study involved both primary and secondary data. Study of the physical composition of the waste generated helps in the better management of the waste. The physical characterization of the waste and existing management system like collection system practiced, storage, transportation and disposal systems used were studied. Physical characterization revealed that organic waste was the highest in all the three municipality i.e.  60.59%, 60.08% and 57.71% for Imphal, Thoubal and Bishnupur respectively and followed by plastics and paper and least was leather. The present paper tries to analyze the scenario of management of municipal solid waste in the three municipalities of Manipur and the role NGOs play in their efficient management. NGOs were found to be operative only in Imphal municipality and not in the other two. It is suggested that generating awareness among the public and their participation along with initiatives of NGOs is essential and integral part for efficient solid waste management.

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