Characterizing the Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Open Burning of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Indian Cities

Abstract

Open-burning of municipal solid waste (MSW) is a major source of PM emissions in developing world cities, but few studies have characterized this phenomenon at the city and intracity (neighborhood) scale relevant to human health impacts. This paper develops a consistent field method for measuring the spatial frequency of the incidence of MSW-burning and presents results in three neighborhoods of varying socioeconomic status (SES) in Delhi, India, observed in winter and summer over 2 years. Daily MSW-burning incidents ranged from 24 to 130/km2-day during winter and 5-87/km2-day during summer, with the highest intensity in low SES neighborhoods. Distinct seasonal and diurnal patterns are observed. The daily mass of MSW-burned was also estimated at 90-1170 kg/km2-day and 13-1100 kg/km2-day in highest to low SES neighborhoods, in winter and summer, respectively. The scaled-up estimate of total MSW-burned for Delhi city ranged from 190 to 246 tons/day, about 2%-3% of total generated MSW; morning-burning contributed >65% of the total. MSW composition varied systematically across neighborhoods and season. Agra had much higher MSW-burning (39-202 incidents/km2-day; 672-3485 kg/km2-day) in the summer. The field method thus captures differences in MSW-burning across cities, neighborhoods, diurnally and seasonally, important for more fine grained air pollution modeling, and for tracking/monitoring policy effectiveness on-ground.

Treatment technologies for urban solid biowaste to create value products: a review with focus on low- and middle-income settings

“…Analysis of the research conducted over the last 10 years on open burning reveals that the main focus has been on assessing the emissions and the related environmental and health impacts (Babel and Vilaysouk 2016;Nagpure et al 2015;Prasad Raju and Partheeban 2014;Zhang et al 2011). Although most of the research so far has focused on emission of nitrogen oxides and complex organic compounds, in the last decade there has been increased interest in the emission and impacts of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs).…”

Municipal solid waste and dung cake burning: discoloring the Taj Mahal and human health impacts in Agra

“…A recent source apportionment study of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5, whose particles are less than 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter) at the Taj Mahal found that biomass burning accounts for nearly 40% of all organic matter (OM) deposition to its surface [1]. Two sources of biomass burning PM 2.5 in Agra, which would be included in the measurement of deposited OM, are the open combustion of municipal solid waste (MSW) and dung cake burning [3]. The high particulate matter (PM) loadings in Agra also reduce visibility, further impairing the aesthetic beauty of the Taj Mahal.…”

“…Rapid growth in Agra, coupled with a limited MSW management infrastructure, has resulted in less effective waste management that leaves large volumes of trash accumulating in the streets [3,10]. Further, generated waste is openly and frequently burned on roadsides and in residential and commercial areas in Agra [3] and throughout India [10], leading to byproducts of poor combustion and increased pollutant emissions [11][12][13]. The Central Pollution Control Board of India estimated MSW-burning to contribute between 5% and 11% of primary PM emissions from sources within cities [14].…”

“…Dung cake burning used as cooking fuel has been more studied in Indian cities [17][18][19]; 11% of rural Indian households depend on cow dung as their primary cooking fuel [19]. Open MSW burning and dung cake burning tends to be more concentrated in areas of poorer populations [3,[20][21][22][23][24], exacerbating exposures to more vulnerable populations. MSW and dung cake emissions can also influence radiative balance and lead to regional and global change [11,25,26].…”

Assessment of City Level Human Health Impact and Corresponding Monetary Cost Burden due to Air Pollution in India Taking Agra as a Model City

“…Other than these sectors MSW burning also emerged as a significant contributor. The total estimated municipal solid waste (MSW) burn in Agra is 223 tons/day in summer, which is about 24% of the city's total daily MSW generation (923 tons/day) (Nagpure et al, 2015). Vehicles and other machines, that burn fossil fuels, are primary source of black carbon, while burning of biomass and garbage are typical source of organic carbon, which has been consistently affecting the white aesthetics of Tajmahal (TI, 2015).…”