Municipal Solid Waste Management and Public Health Risks: An Escalating Socio – Environmental Challenge in Jorhat, Assam

With rapid pace of urbanisation, urban solid waste management has emerged as a growing threat in India, as the unscientific handling of municipal solid waste degrades urban ecology and poses public health hazards. Based on an analysis of seven wards in Jorhat municipality of Assam, India, the paper outlines concern regarding public health and environmental safety in relation to improper garbage disposal and highlights the current status of solid waste management practices by conducting interviews with the respondents recruited through Simple Random Sampling. Priorities for proper implementation of the national campaign, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) undertaken by the government of India for scientific waste disposal in Jorhat are discussed. The paper concludes by examining challenges and the best practices followed by Jorhat municipality. The study uncovers that unawareness and lack of active participation of urban residents in proper solid waste disposal is the primary cause of the problems.