Reducing the Pollution of Mithi River: A Waste Disposal Intervention

Abstract

Water may be a very important part of our lives: whether or not we’re cooking, cleaning, washing or drinking, we tend to acquire contact with water in many forms of ways, every day. We assume it to be clean and safe, but even drinking-water can be contaminated by harmful bacteria. These harmful bacteria breed and multiply in our water systems. One of the main causes for this is stagnation–water remaining stationary for an extended period of time. Standing water, before stagnating, acts as a breeding ground for harmful bacteria and becomes stagnant. This paper focuses on slum dwellers living along the Mithi River and directly using the river for their garbage and subsequently, causing small pockets of water to be obstructed and stagnated. It also aims to understand the behavior of the people in the community with respect to garbage disposal and allow the residents of the area to live hygienically without the presence of unpleasant smell and sight. Using different design research tools, 60 participants were involved in generating insights through research like surveys, interviews & camera study to tackle the problem at hand. It discusses on designing a solution that will help understand and provide a system to encourage the proper usage of waste disposal elements. We believe that this system will certainly help people gradually increase their usage of garbage bins and indulge in a healthier community mindset.