- Use terrain-friendly vehicles like mini tippers or e-rickshaws to navigate steep, narrow paths, as done in Mussoorie, where compact electric vehicles are used for waste collection.
- Implement cluster-based collection zones for better coverage of scattered households, such as in Dharamshala, which manages hilly wards with team-wise route zoning.
- Engage local communities and SHGs in supervision and outreach, following the example of Sikkim, where village panchayats actively oversee collection and awareness.
- Promote source segregation with incentives like discounts and spot fines, as in Mcleodganj, where households use color-coded bins for wet and dry waste.
- Set up fixed collection points in inaccessible areas, a practice used in Manipur’s hill districts, where bins are installed near roadheads for manual or trolley-based pickup.
- Use GPS and mobile apps to track vehicles and ensure timely collection, as seen in Shimla, where the Smart City app monitors routes and responds to complaints.
- Train sanitation workers on terrain handling and provide safety gear, as done in Nainital, where workers are equipped for collection on steep slopes and during monsoons.
- Encourage backyard composting of kitchen waste to reduce load on collection systems, like in Gangtok, where households receive compost kits and training from local bodies.
- Promote the use of biodegradable and recyclable materials by restricting single-use plastic and encouraging cloth bags, a successful approach adopted in Spiti Valley and Sikkim.
- Use of incentives for hospitality sector to collect and segregate waste related to tourists. Tourists should be encouraged to carry a bag to prevent littering if waste in public areas and instead carry the waste back to hotels for safe disposal.
- Raise public awareness on sustainable waste habits, using campaigns and school programs, similar to Himachal Pradesh, where NGOs conduct door-to-door outreach and waste education drives.
S
Simran Manchanda
@simran2603-gmail.com
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How can door-to-door waste collection be improved in hilly urban areas? -
As India prepares for its next Census, should it revise its current methodology for defining and measuring urbanisation to better reflect the country’s changing socioeconomic realities and spatial growth patterns?- The rigid Census Town criteria should be updated to include indicators like access to urban services, land use patterns, and satellite-based proxies such as night-time lights. Use of online dashboards to keep a track of such services.
- Integrating remote sensing and GIS data would allow real-time tracking of urban sprawl beyond the 10-year census cycle. Digipin can be helpful in this direction.
- Introducing a new category like “transitional towns” or “urbanising areas” would help formally acknowledge regions in flux.
- Harmonising urban definitions across ministries—Census, Urban Affairs, Panchayati Raj—would reduce policy inconsistencies.
- The Census should also incorporate mid-decade urban updates or rolling surveys, supported by digital tools and citizen engagement.
- Consultation with state government and local planning bodies for verifying urban transitions on the ground.
- A provision should be added to remove the status of urban area in case they fail to provide basic amenities like access to potable water, toilets etc.
