Context: Karad city in Maharashtra’s Satara district has achieved 100% safe segregation, collection, and disposal of sanitary and biomedical waste, setting a national benchmark.
About Karad Sanitary Waste Management Model:
- What it is?
- A comprehensive system ensuring complete safe disposal of sanitary waste through segregation, collection, and high-temperature incineration.
- How It Works?
- Collection: Red bins placed at public toilets and garbage vehicles equipped with dedicated bins for sanitary waste.
- Processing: Waste is sent to a Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF), run by the Karad Hospital Association, incinerating at temperatures up to 1200°C.
- Monitoring: Real-time oversight by the State Pollution Control Board ensures environmental compliance.
- Community Engagement: Women-led awareness campaigns and sanitary facilities in schools (vending machines, incinerators).
- PPP Model: Municipal council manages collection; hospital association handles incineration, provided free of cost to citizens.
- Significance:
- Promotes hygiene, women’s health, and environmental safety.
- Acts as a scalable model for small and medium cities aiming for efficient sanitary waste management.
Relevance in UPSC Exam Syllabus:
- GS Paper 2: Governance, Public Health Initiatives, Role of NGOs and Civil Society in Development.
- GS Paper 3: Environmental Pollution, Waste Management, Sustainable Urban Development.
- Essay Paper: Topics related to Urban Sanitation, Women and Hygiene, Public-Private Partnerships.
