Question

Artical on pollution due to urbanisation

Answer 1

Urban activities generate large quantities of city wastes including several Biodegradable materials (like vegetables, animal wastes, papers, wooden pieces, carcasses, plant twigs, leaves, cloth wastes as well as sweepings) and many non-biodegradable materials (such as plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic wastes, glass bottles, glass pieces, stone / cement pieces). On a rough estimate Indian cities are producing solid city wastes to the tune of 50,000 - 80,000 metric tons every day. If left uncollected and decomposed, they are a cause of several problems such as

Clogging of drains
Causing serious drainage problems including the burst / leakage of drainage lines leading to health problems.

barrier to movement of water
Solid wastes have seriously damaged the normal movement of water thus creating problem of inundation, damage to foundation of buildings as well as public health hazards.

foul smell - generated by dumping the wastes at a place.

increased microbial activities
Microbial decomposition of organic wastes generate large quantities of methane besides many chemicals to pollute the soil and water flowing on its surface

When such solid wastes are hospital wastes they create many health problems - as they may have dangerous pathogen within them besides dangerous medicines, injections