Assessment of waste disposal practices among residents in Mappedu, Thiruvallur district, Tamilnadu

Introduction : Solid waste is the unneeded or useless which are not liquid or gas generated from human activities in residential, industrial or commercial areas. Various types of solid waste are Municipal waste, Industrial waste, Construction and demolition waste, Electronic waste, Hazardous waste. Outbreak of Dengue fever was most common among the residents of Thiruvallur in 2019. The investigation was started to identify the potential exposure and possible recommendation and education to the villagers on waste management. Hence the aim of the research was to investigate the rural resident’s practices in solid waste disposal and their health hazard implications to the community in Mappedu village. Materials and methods : Two methods such as the observation and questionnaire survey was employed in the current research. No waste collection system was present in the village based on observation method. Dumping of waste was most common among the villagers and burning of waste were also common as there was inadequate awareness among the people as burning waste produces harmful gases. Diseases which are very prone to lack of hygiene such as dengue, malaria, diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, typhoid and worm diseases were projected from the questionnaire. To minimize the risk of environment and human health appropriate hygiene practices and proper disposal of waste needs to be practiced. Results : Most of the rural residents disposed the waste at a common point and minimal waste were burnt. There was a significant difference between the frequency of hospital visits and the waste disposal method. Conclusion : The villagers must be educated on the proper solid waste management as it leads to deteriorating health and be fatal.