Source specific composition and quantification of solid waste in Ghulmet valley, district Hunza-Nagar, Pakistan

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Research Paper 01/01/2015
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Source specific composition and quantification of solid waste in Ghulmet valley, district Hunza-Nagar, Pakistan

Karamat Ali, Farida Begum, Salma Durrani, Muhammad Zafar Khan, Muhammad Akbar, Shaukat Ali, Ghulam Raza, Sultan Ishaq, Syed Arif Hussain
J. Biodiv. & Environ. Sci. 6(1), 404-413, January 2015.
Copyright Statement: Copyright 2015; The Author(s).
License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Abstract

Solid waste is the unwanted or useless solid materials generated from combined residential, industrial and commercial activities in a given area. This waste must be disposed properly to avoid associated problems. Quantity and Composition determination of solid waste is one of the basic steps towards initiating a sound solid waste management program. Ghulmet valley with a rapidly increasing population, an attraction for outside visitors in the form of local, national and international tourists has an ideal example of quasi-urban locality in Gilgit-Baltistan going through various environmental issues, solid waste being one of them. The current study aimed at evaluating source specific Quantification and Composition of solid waste in the area. For this purpose the area was divided into two sectors namely Commercial and Residential. Sampling covered 20% of each sector population frame and sampled for two weeks on weekly basis, using random sampling technique, where wastes produced over a week were segregated into 9 groups and weighted individually to obtain composition and quantity values. Solid waste Management plan should be initiated at government and at the community to deals with the waste issue, which can reduce the negative effects on environment and health of people. Sessions must be conducted for communities to aware them from negative impacts of solid waste.

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