WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE CITIES: A CASE STUDY WITH REFERENCE TO IMPHAL CITY, MANIPUR.

City management and urban planning are quite inevitable to address the social, environmental and economic impacts faced by cities. The UN action plan 2015 through its goal 11 emphasises the need to make cities safe, resilient and inclusive through strategic planning. Imphal, being the capital city of Manipur with its rich culture and heritage is a tourist hub which needs immediate attention as there is a double time rise in waste generation in recent decades. With increased development in various industrial sectors, the amount of waste in the city has increased rapidly and the graph is predicted to move upward in the future. The city’s natural resources are being depleted and the soil fertility keeps on degrading. The health of people living in the city is in big threat and there are more chances of them getting various diseases. The government and the Imphal Municipal Corporation (IMC) has to take immediate action to prevent the crisis through sustainable actions. At this scenario, a questionnaire survey and analysis was done at Imphal city by taking responses from families living in the heart of the city, the sustainable strategies adopted for waste segregation and disposal were analysed. Roles of organisations and NGO’s, municipal corporations and their strategies for waste management and steps to sustainability were analysed. It was found that waste management in Imphal has taken a huge leap from the past decade and there is a big scope of improvement. The study also urges need to take immediate action plan for smart waste removal, net zero carbon footprint, infrastructural development and public green spaces to be initiated by the government.