title: Exploring social and infrastructural factors affecting open burning of municipal solid waste (MSW) in Indian cities: A comparative case study of three neighborhoods of Delhi.
abstract: Open municipal solid waste (MSW)-burning is a major source of particulate matter emissions in developing world cities. Despite a legal ban, MSW-burning is observed ubiquitously in Indian cities with little being known about the factors shaping it. This study seeks to uncover social and infrastructural factors that affect MSW-burning at the neighborhood level. We couple physical assessments of the infrastructure provision and the MSW-burning incidences in three different neighborhoods of varying socio-economic status in Delhi, with an accompanying study of the social actors (interviews of waste handlers and households) to explore the extent to which, and potential reasons why, MSW-burning occurs. The observed differences in MSW-burning incidences range from 130 km-2day-1in low-income to 30 km-2day-1in the high-income areas. However, two high-income areas neighborhoods with functional infrastructure service also showed statistical differences in MSW-burning incidences. Our interviews revealed that, while the waste handlers were aware of the health risks associated with MSW-burning, it was not a high priority in the context of the other difficulties they faced. The awareness of the legal ban on MSW-burning was low among both waste handlers and households. In addition to providing infrastructure for waste pickup, informal restrictions from residents and neighborhood associations can play a significant role in restricting MSW-burning at the neighborhood scale. A more efficient management of MSW requires a combined effort that involves interplay of both social and infrastructural systems.
authors.affiliation: Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA anu@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Anu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramaswami
authors.affiliation: Occupational Injury Prevention and Research Training Program, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Navneet Kaur
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Baidwan
authors.affiliation: Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Ajay Singh
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Nagpure
mesh_terms: D002947:Cities; D003469:Culture; D005191:Family Characteristics; D006801:Humans; D017745:Incineration / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*; D007182:Income; D007194:India; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D062611:Solid Waste; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D062611:Solid Waste
keywords: Municipal solid waste (MSW)-burning; air pollution; interviews; qualitative research; social actors; urban waste management