PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN BAHAWALPUR CITY, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Management of solid waste is a major public health and environmental concern in urban areas of many developing countries. Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is a system for handling all the garbage. It encompasses the functions of collection, transfer, resource recovery, recycling and treatment of solid waste. The primary target of Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is to protect the health of population, promote environmental quality, develop sustainability and provide support to economic productivity. This paper summarizes the salient features of the current scenario of Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) in Bahawalpur and the future directions for improving the situation. The data is collected from the government agency (Tehsil Municipal Administration, TMA) responsible for the management of solid waste, interviews with stakeholders and feld surveys of the residential areas and collection sites to understand the practice and discover the lacunae. Further to it is reflected on the public awareness and community participation in MSWM as well as involvement of the private sector and NGOs.