QUESTION 6
GS3
10 marks
What are the impediments to disposing of the huge quantities of discarded solid waste that are continuously being generated? How do we safely remove the toxic wastes accumulated in our habitable environment?
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Identify barriers to disposing of solid waste and suggest safe ways to remove accumulated toxic waste.
ExplainMake clear how and why it happens: causes, process, and an example for each point.
Demand-wise check
- 1Impediments: no source segregation, weak urban local body finances, land scarcity for landfills, informal sector excluded, NIMBY, poor plastic recycling≈30 words
- 2Toxic waste sources: industry, e-waste, biomedical, legacy dumpsites, pesticides≈30 words
- 3Safe removal: bioremediation and biomining of legacy dumps, phytoremediation, secured landfills, high-temperature incineration, extended producer responsibility≈30 words
- 4Institutions: Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 and sister rules, SBM-Urban 2.0≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
ScaleImpedimentsToxic waste typesSafe removal methodsPolicyConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Answering only part one and ignoring toxic waste removal
- Generic 'awareness' points without technical methods
Draw this
- Waste hierarchy pyramid: reduce → reuse → recycle → recover → dispose
Value addition
- DataIndia generates about 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste a year (2016 estimate).MoEFCC, Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 release
- CaseGhazipur landfill in Delhi partly collapsed in September 2017, killing two people.2017 news reports
- CaseAbout 337 tonnes of Union Carbide waste from Bhopal was moved to Pithampur for incineration in January 2025, four decades after the gas tragedy.Madhya Pradesh Government, 2025
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 17 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aniket Ranjan · AIR 48 · Page 15 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 41 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aniket Ranjan · AIR 48 · Page 41 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 7 minutes, then get it checked.