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Self-help group participation towards sustainable solid waste management in peri-urban villages: evidence from Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India

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Abstract

The growth of secondary and tertiary sectors in the peri-urban villages results in development strain and causes demographic, socio-economic, and spatial transformations. Deficiency in provisioning of basic services is one of the prime concerns for these villages. This study aims to examine the present conditions and the community’s attitude towards waste management, and whether the self-help groups (SHGs) can aid in developing a sense of collective responsibility. Five villages from the Bhiwandi Surrounding Notified Area in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India, were selected for a case study investigation of the current situation of service provisioning by the rural local bodies. Questionnaire surveys were conducted for 122 households and the heads of all SHGs in the villages simultaneously. Due to the limited household surveys, the data were triangulated with documents and interviews with officials. The results were qualitatively and quantitatively analysed to understand people’s perception of the SHGs and the major factors through which the groups contribute in improving livelihoods and living conditions. The SHGs also play a significant role in developing awareness of issues and social integration in the rapidly evolving structure of these peri-urban communities, as is highlighted in the case studies. The relations between SHG participation and literacy levels on the attitude towards local involvement in solid waste management for the villages were analysed. The resulting significant correlations point towards the consideration of these factors while planning for a development model for peri-urban villages. Policy-level support to the SHGs can help in fostering local partnerships and community initiatives towards better service delivery in the villages. This kind of social empowerment forms the basis for social sustainability, which in turn promotes economic and environmental sustainability.

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Notes

  1. Swachh = Clean, and Bharat = India. Swachh Bharat Mission was launched in 2014 to promote sanitation coverage in rural areas and develop Solid & Liquid Waste Management systems for urban and rural areas.

  2. Gram = village, Panchayat = council. Gram Panchayat is the rural local body consisting of representative elected by the village residents.

  3. ‘Dr. Shri Nanasaheb Dharmadhikari Pratishthan’ is an institution for social service conducting activities across the state of Maharashtra.

  4. ‘Pandurang Shastri Swadhyay Parivar’ is an organisation engaged in social reformation, and has centres across India and some other countries.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI (Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research) Grant Number 16H03311 and the Japanese Government Monbukagakusho Scholarship by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. The authors would also like to thank the local body officials and all the leaders of the self-help groups in the villages of Bhiwandi Surrounding Notified Area, for their support in carrying out this study.

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  1. Richa Kandpal

    Present address: United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), 5-53-70 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-8925, Japan

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  1. Laboratory of Regional Planning, Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Research Building-5, Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606 8501, Japan

    Richa Kandpal & Izuru Saizen

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Kandpal, R., Saizen, I. Self-help group participation towards sustainable solid waste management in peri-urban villages: evidence from Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India. Environ Dev Sustain 24, 3791–3814 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01588-6

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