IIT-KGP, Dhaka university map plastic waste in Ganga
Times of India (March 18, 2021)
IIT-Kgp, Dhaka univ map plastic waste in Ganga
Kolkata: Millions of tonnes of plastic waste are scattered on both the sides of the Ganga from Rishikesh to Howrah. The garbage that is mostly dumped there by municipal agencies makes its way into the river, thereby polluting its water.
A study report jointly done by IIT Kharagpur, National Geographic and University of Dhaka has been published recently in this regard.
Civil engineering faculty and research scholars from IIT Kharagpur were part of the study. They found the absence of source segregation, poor waste management strategy, lack of funds and resources etc. According to the IIT experts, about 70%-80% of waste is collected by urban local bodies. Of that waste, 72%-78% is disposed of in open dumpsites close to the Ganga.
The team found that the plastic content in the waste went up to nearly 20% fo the dumpsites. On an average the percentage of plastic waste was highest at Rishikesh and lowest at Anupshahr, said the IIT experts. "We found that 70%-85% of the plastic water was composed of film plastic," said Brajesh Dubey, a faculty of the institute. (View the original article) (The KGP Chronicle article)