Strategy and Framework for Disaster Waste Management
Natural disasters occur every year and its frequency and their impacts have greatly increased in recent decades. About 59% of India’s landmass is prone to earthquakes from moderate to high intensities, about 12 percent land is prone to floods and about 5700 kms of coastline is prone to cyclone and tsunamis. Also, a large region is prone to drought and hilly terrain is subject to landslides. Gujarat is most prone to natural disasters namely cyclone, floods, and earthquake. The disasters generate overwhelming quantities of waste that we have observed through experience of 1998 super-cyclone, 2001 earthquake and Surat floods. Solid waste, a major effect of disaster, poses a huge threat to the environment, human life and health. 2001 Earthquake resulted in removal of 110 lakh MT of debris by government mechanism. There have been problems of irregularities in waste management came to notice. There are many more challenges in the management of disaster related to waste for ULB/government right from approach, quantification, recovery/reuse/recycle, pollution, and final disposal.
