2.0 Methodology
A waste disposable area of Kolkata was selected for field study in Garia and the nearby households (within 500
m from the waste disposable land) were randomly selected. Among the randomly selected samples, a case study was
done on the garbage disposal and its effect on health of the adjacent residents. The respondents who were willing to
participate and co-operate were included in the study. They were interviewed with two self structured questionnaires
– general questionnaire on waste management and questionnaire on health issues by taking a note of perception and
awareness about garbage disposal practices and also the consequent health problems faced by them. Their
recommendation is also sought for eradication of the menace.
General questionnaire on waste management was used to assess the awareness and the current trends of waste
disposal system among the respondents. The questionnaire on health issues was used to evaluate the consequent
health risks associated with the exposure of the garbage among the neighborhood. Lastly, their opinion about the
proper garbage disposal method is also sought to note their perception about the same.
3.0 Field Study (Garia, Kolkata)
The study has been carried out in a small locality of Garia where open dumping and land filling is a common
practice. In some areas the services provided are satisfactory. Every day roads are swept and waste is collected at a
particular time slot starting from morning 7.30-9.00am. Sweepers are provided with the handcarts or tricycles,
scrappers and brooms to clean the roads and lanes properly, to clean the open drains, to collect the waste and load it
into the carts provided and then transfer them to the primary collection points called the vats which are situated in
different locality. The handcarts on an average have a capacity of 2-3 m3
. Roads are first swept before proceeding
for collection of household wastes (Figure 1b). The waste is collected by sweepers going from house-to-house and
collecting the waste which the residents have collected in the dustbins (Figure 1a). This house-to-house collection is
done from all the residents. Earlier the bins were placed at different places, but the residents used to throw waste
outside those bins instead of inside which created unsanitary conditions around the bin locations.