HEALTH RISK AMONG MUNICIPAL WASTE MANAGEMENT WORKERS: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY OF SRINAGAR CITY, UTTARAKHAND, INDIA

Abstract

In Srinagar, the net volume of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generated is 15 tonnes per day (TPD). As compared to 2011 the waste generation is 5 tonnes per day which has increased with the increasing population. This raises considerable concerns about the potential occupational health risks that MSW professionals may encounter. Due to rising occupational concerns, manual handling of municipal solid trash is a major source of worry as it is widely practiced among the workers in Srinagar city due to the lack of technology-based management of waste. In consideration of this, the health risks of municipal solid waste workers engaged in street sweeping, garbage collection, waste processing, and rag picking in Srinagar were assessed using an interview, schedule as a data collection method. After the collection of data, statistical tools like correlation and regression were used to find out the probability of occurrence of health risk in MSW workers. The findings suggest that the garbage handling profession is dominated by men, and they have a lower literacy rate. According to the age distribution 52% of waste handling workers are between the ages of 29 – 38 years. Waste employees earn between 300 and 1133 per day, depending on whether they work on a contract or a permanent basis. Due to their casual attitude and unavailability, it was discovered that 92% of waste collectors.., 89% of street sweepers, and 99% of rag pickers do not utilize any form of protective gear, resulting in numerous types of accidents. Respiratory diseases (36%), Cuts and lacerations (84%), Muscle and ligament Sprain (88%), Bruises Abrasion and Burns (53%), Skin/ Nail Infection (94%) , Eye Irritation (53%) , and water-borne diseases (20%) were the most common occupational health conditions reported by various groups of garbage workers. The Workers in the waste industry are susceptible to occupational health risks, and as a result, there is an urgent need to modernize the waste management system by adopting scientific waste management techniques.

Keywords:   Disease, Health risk, Municipal solid waste, Waste workers, Srinagar