Garbage dumping in commons and its impacts..

[Charan.A]

In India, it is common for municipal authorities to use common lands as dump sites due to the high costs of establishing and monitoring systematic waste management systems. This unsystematic practice includes the dumping of industrial waste, municipal solid waste and e-waste, most of which are products of the city. This dumping of waste on common lands has severe consequences for the people who depend on it for their livelihoods.

Some of these impacts include the following-
1. Health risks due to exposure to hazardous waste and chemicals causing respiratory diseases, skin infections and other health hazards to people who live nearby and are exposed to such harmful
substances.
2. Loss of livelihood because the common land is used for fishing, livestock rearing and farming, which are some of the primary sources of livelihood for people who depend on it. The presence of garbage in these areas can contaminate the soil and water, making it difficult or impossible for people to use these lands for these purposes. This can result in the loss of jobs and a decline in income for the affected communities.
3. Environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity-
Garbage dumping in common lands can also lead to serious environmental problems, such as soil and water pollution, deforestation, and soil erosion. This can have a cascade of adverse effects on the local
ecosystem and the wildlife that depends on it.

Environmental organizations are making efforts to address this issue and promote proper waste management practices. This includes the demands for the implementation of solid waste management
laws, the development of landfills and incinerators, and public education and awareness campaigns to encourage individuals to dispose of their waste responsibly. These efforts combined with governmental cooperation is essential for preserving the commons for the better and future use of such resources by the community.

[Purnendu Kavoori]

Dumping is also a matter of scale. In my experience the very large scale dumping gets a lot of attention for obvious reasons. It is also necessary to document and think about ways of coping with small scale dumping. This largely goes unnoticed but is so pervasive that it surely has a collective impact. In rural areas in particularly I have noticed small scale litter and plastics collecting in and around open spaces. While much of this is probably distributed randomly, the commons are a frequent location for dumping of this kind. Rarely however is dumping a matter that is discussed in our conversations around commons.

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