Waste-generating Species

This is the river which bathed my childhood. It flows down my village and my house is just a few metres above its lush green basin, my ancestral home where I grew up as well as my present residence. Back then, in summer season, this river would shrink into a rivulet throwing up golden sandy banks on both sides with interspersed granite rocks. In monsoon, it would become a monstrous swirl of riled water carrying all sorts of things from coconuts to tree trunks. Its width then would expand into the farms on both sides. We would stand at a distance and admire its might. As the monsoon receded, the river would shrink making itself the best playfield for us. We swam in her clear waters and fished in her creeks and bends.

The river continues to live half a century later in spite of the ‘progress and development’ that my village underwent. Unlike many other rivers which have become open sewers, this one continues to carry fairly clear water. Some villagers still take bath in it and wash clothes. I consider myself lucky that my river has not been killed. I see a lot of rivers in Kerala, as elsewhere in the country, carrying human-generated waste of all sorts: agricultural, animal-related, medical, construction & demolition-related and food wastes from hotels.  

Humankind is a waste-generating species. We generate billions of tonnes of waste of all sorts including very hazardous radioactive wastes. The amount of plastic that we have dumped in our lakes and oceans is slowing smothering the planet to death. What is known as municipal solid waste (msw) is generated in tonnes day after day. MSW is the common trash or garbage that we throw away every day: product packaging, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, appliances, batteries, etc. Industrial effluents and other such largescale wastes pollute everything from air to water. Our holy river, Ganga, is the most polluted in the world – in spite of all the propaganda abut its purification exercises.

India is the world’s highest waste-generator. According to a 2020 report, India produces 277.1 million tonnes of solid waste per year. The figure is projected to be 387.8 million in 2030. We spend lakhs of crores of rupees on advertisements. The advertising expenditure in the country is expected to be Rs1,46,450 crore in 2023. In 2022, it was Rs1,26,818 crore. Quite a part of it is spent to tell the world that we are doing thigs right when we aren’t doing anything at all, let alone right.

So, the solution is simple. Actually start doing what we claim to be doing. Cleaning the Ganga, for example. Collecting and managing the garbage in the towns and cities. Recycling what can be and should be recycled. Encouraging people to reuse what can be reused. Making the toilets effective by supplying them with water. Making the entire public systems effective and efficient – in reality more than in the ads.