Waste Management for Sustainable Rural Futures in the Village of Muljipura, Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

Waste management is rapidly becoming a pivotal field in the study of sustainable development, especially in a country as populous as India. With a population well over 1.2 billion, of which approximately 70% living in villages scattered across the country, the absence of proper implementation of waste collection methods from the government is the leading cause of a polluted society. A large percentage of waste associated problems in rural areas are due to the lack of awareness and unfamiliarity with the innumerable techniques practiced around the world that are easy to adopt. Without the proper methods to regulate the waste creation and disposal, the environment as well as the community is being destroyed, in turn leading to major complications. The point of focus of our study was the correlation between the customary waste disposal practices adopted by the people of the village and the methods practiced in developed towns. The data collected through interviews, personas, scenarios and PRA along with observational methods such as six senses were used to obtain information revolving around the efficiency of waste management methods currently utilized and their effects, if any on locals of the village, top soil and air. Research indicated that the common practices of burning and/or dumping waste has affected the fertility of the soil, as well as increased the number of breeding grounds for insects affecting the well-being of the people. Farmers though aware of the consequences are compelled by their circumstances to continue with the same, due to a lack of alternative methods. This leads to an excessive amount of waste being stagnant for months at a time. The data made clear the necessity to introduce modern, environmentally friendly and sustainable methods which could be integrated effortlessly into the lives of the rural population.