sustainable development case study in tamil nadu

Innovative solid waste management strategies for smart cities in Tamil Nadu: challenges, technological solutions, and sustainable prospects

• Open access
• Published: 03 December 2024
• Volume 6 , article number  660 , ( 2024 )

Cite this article

You have full access to this open access article

• S. Valai Ganesh 1 ,
• V. Suresh 2 ,
• S. Godwin Barnabas 3 &
• S. Rajakarunakaran 1  

This study focuses on the challenges, technological solutions, and sustainability prospects of solid waste management practices in eleven smart cities in Tamil Nadu, India, through a case study. It was through a systematic review and stakeholder interviews that we assessed the current waste management infrastructure, collection, and processing capabilities in these cities. The analysis concluded that measures for waste segregation remain poor, with collection efficiencies ranging between 80 and 100% and segregation rates across the sampled cities from below 50% to 100% for varying cities. Constraints also include poor infrastructure, lack of public awareness, and financial problems. We develop an integrated waste management framework that advocates source segregation, localized processing, and waste-to-energy plans. The study has shown that the efficient use of smart technologies, the development of public–private alliances, and the principles of the circular economy would significantly enhance the effectiveness of waste management practices in the smart cities of Tamil Nadu. Policy makers and urban planners focused on ameliorating municipal solid waste management systems in fast-growing urban areas can benefit from these findings.

Article Highlights

Smart cities in Tamil Nadu face significant challenges in solid waste management, including inadequate infrastructure and low public awareness.

Technological interventions and public-private partnerships offer opportunities to improve waste collection and processing efficiency.

Implementing circular economy principles and waste-to-energy initiatives can lead to more sustainable waste management practices.

Similar content being viewed by others

Efficiency of Municipal Solid Waste Collection: A Review of Case Studies and Recommendations

Review on evolution of municipal solid waste management in India: practices, challenges and policy implications

Municipal Solid Waste Management in Thailand: Challenges and Strategic Solution

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

1 Introduction

1.1 overview of municipal solid waste management challenges.

Managing solid waste has become essential for cities worldwide as a result of population growth, rapid urbanization, and changing customer tastes. The World Bank states that the amount of trash made around the world will rise from 2.01 billion tons in 2016 to 3.40 billion tons by 2050 [ 1 ]. As the amount of trash increases exponentially, it becomes very difficult for communities to collect, move, process, and eliminate trash.

The second-largest nation in the globe, India, is likewise experiencing this issue. India is home to approximately 377 million people living in cities [ 2 ] and generates approximately 62 million tons of waste annually [ 3 ]. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has projected that by 2030, the entire volume may reach 165 million tons [ 4 ]. The infrastructures in India's cities that manage solid waste are greatly affected by the country's fast development in terms of waste generation.

Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, has been at the forefront of smart city projects because it knows they can help with long-term urban growth, better resource use, and economic growth. Improving how these smart cities handle waste is important for preserving the environment, remaining people well-being and ensuring the best of available resources. These cities can serve as an example for urban growth across the state and the country. The Smart Municipalities Mission, which seeks to build major towns that are more effective for individuals and the environment, picked eleven municipalities in the state [ 5 ]. For these smart towns, solid waste management remains a significant concern. There are challenges like failing to collect waste items rather than separating at the point of collection and ineffective ways of treating and getting rid of waste.

In the duration of four years from 2018 to 2022, the data about solid waste generated and managed in Tamil Nadu state have been illustrated in Fig.  1 . It provides data on four primary metrics: the production, collection, treatment, and disposal of solid waste. We measure all these in tons per day. Some important observations include:

Solid Waste Status in Tamil Nadu (2018–2022)

The daily production of waste increased from 13,968 tons in 2018–2019 to 14,585 metric tons in 2021–2022. Over time, there has been a decrease in the disparity between the generation of waste and its collection methods.

Particularly between 2020 and 2021, there has been a significant increase in the amount of waste that requires treatment. The daily dump of waste has significantly decreased from 5,654 tons in 2020–2021. However, it moved back up in 2021–2022.

This number is important because it shows how far Tamil Nadu has come in managing solid garbage, especially in making collection more efficient, increasing treatment capacity, and lowering the state's reliance on landfills. These trends are in line with smart city plans and goals for sustainable waste management. They show both what the state's urban waste management schemes have done well as well as what they could do better.

1.2 Concept of smart cities

As a result of increasing development and the importance of responsible urban growth, the concept of "smart cities" has gained a lot of attention around the world. Information and communication technologies (ICT) are used by a "smart city" to improve the quality and performance of city services, lower costs and utilise resources, and connect with people there better [ 6 ]. A multidimensional framework for understanding smart cities has been proposed, emphasizing the interplay between development drivers and desired outcomes [ 7 ]. Some important parts of a smart city usually include:

Smart governance and citizen services

Smart energy and environment management

Smart transportation and mobility

Smart healthcare

Smart buildings and infrastructure

Smart education

A smart city's approach to waste management employs technology to identify the best routes for waste pickup, keeping monitor on the quantity of waste in real time, and encourage people to participate part in initiatives that minimise waste and support recycling.

1.3 Evolution of smart cities in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu has been at the forefront of the smart city trend in India. It is one of the states with the most cities. The following events can be used to show how smart towns in Tamil Nadu have changed over time:

2015: The Indian government starts the Smart Cities Mission [ 8 ].

2016: The first round of smart cities in Tamil Nadu, consisting of Chennai and Coimbatore, were chosen.

2017: More cities in Tamil Nadu had been added to the list of smart cities, making it a total of 11.

2018–present: setting up a number of smart city projects in the chosen cities

The 11 smart cities in Tamil Nadu are: Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Tiruppur, Vellore, Thanjavur and Erode.

These cities have initiated numerous projects to improve their infrastructure and services. Waste management has emerged as a key focus area in many of these smart city plans, reflecting a growing awareness of its importance in urban sustainability [ 9 ]. However, Indian smart cities, including those in Tamil Nadu, face significant challenges in implementing advanced waste management systems, encompassing technological, governance, and social barriers [ 10 ].

1.4 Research objectives

The following are the key objectives of this study:

The intention is to look at how solid waste is currently collected and processed in Tamil Nadu's smart towns.

To identify and analyze the key challenges and issues in solid waste management practices within Tamil Nadu's smart cities, providing a comprehensive assessment of current obstacles to effective waste handling.

To investigate exemplary international methods and effective waste management frameworks that can be customized to specific local circumstances.

The objective is to offer practical proposals and recommendations to enhance the collection and segregation of solid waste in smart cities of Tamil Nadu.

The study is centered on the 11 smart cities in Tamil Nadu, specifically Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Thanjavur, Vellore, Tirupur, Erode, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Tiruchirappalli. The study used a mixed-methods methodology, integrating quantitative data analysis with qualitative insights obtained from conversations with stakeholders and field observations.

The approach comprises the following stages:

Systematic integrative review: A review of current research on solid waste management techniques at the global, national, and state levels will be undertaken to develop a comprehensive theoretical basis for the study. This approach allowed for the synthesis of diverse literature sources, including both empirical and theoretical studies, to provide a holistic understanding of solid waste management practices and their evolution.

Data collection: Primary data was gathered via surveys, interviews with key stakeholders (such as municipal officials, waste management specialists, and community members), and visits at waste management facilities in the chosen smart cities.

Data analysis: The gathered data was examined via statistical techniques and qualitative analytical methodologies to ascertain patterns, trends, and significant concerns in the handling of solid waste.

Identification of best practices: The process of identifying the most effective methods for collecting solid waste and segregation on a global scale involves examining cases and effective waste management models that had been adopted in other countries.

Recommendation development: Practical proposals and recommendations were produced on the basis of the results of the data analysis and the identification of best practices. These recommendations aimed to enhance solid waste collection and separation in smart cities in Tamil Nadu.

1.5 Unique contributions of the research

This research makes several unique contributions to the existing body of knowledge on solid waste management in Tamil Nadu smart cities:

Integration of Global Best Practices—This research aims to integrate international standards in solid waste management with the specific context of Tamil Nadu smart cities. By analysing successful approaches from around the world, this study seeks to close the gap between foreign achievements and the local situation. This study identified pertinent methods and advances that can be utilized to enhance waste management procedures in these urban areas.

Stakeholder Insights: This study used surveys and interviews to obtain the views of particular stakeholders, such as municipality leaders, people working in waste management, and members of the community. This method ensures that the findings and suggestions are founded on the real-life experiences and facts of people who work directly with the elimination of waste in Tamil Nadu smart towns.

Stakeholder Insights- This gives us a few concepts that could be implemented. These suggestions are based on the needs and problems that smart towns in Tamil Nadu are currently facing. These ideas came from a thorough look at what is already happening, best practices from around the world, and feedback from those who have a stake in the matter. This made sure that they were feasible and achievable.

1.6 Expected outcomes

The purpose of this research is to add to the existing knowledge regarding the best way to handle solid waste in smart cities in Tamil Nadu. The expected outcomes include a detailed study of the present methods for collecting and sorting solid waste in Tamil Nadu's smart city.

A summary of the primary challenges and issues that make it difficult to handle solid waste properly in these cities.

This paper provides a wide range of useful recommendations as well as guidance on how to improve the gathering and sorting of solid waste more efficiently. These concepts and recommendations are based on the best methods used around the world and are then adjusted to suit the requirements of the community at large.

The rest of this paper is structured in the following way: Sect.  2 investigates the international perspective of solid waste management practices and considers some of the strategies and technologies that have been successfully employed in other countries. In Sect.  3 , National level (India) case is put under focus looking at existing waste management techniques, their challenges, and the state’s policies surrounding them. In Sect.  4 , a case study on Tamil Nadu is conducted by assessing the available waste management systems in the smart cities of the state and the extent to which they are currently being put into practice. Also, Sect.  5 investigates the issues and prospects at Tamil Nadu smart cities including technology, infrastructure, and social dimensions. Finally, in Sect.  6 , the authors provide a holistic set of recommendations on how to enhance different dimensions of waste management in the case of smart cities of Tamil Nadu incorporating technological options, policy suggestions, and tactics for implementation. The last section, Sect. 8 provides the concluding remarks of the entire paper highlighting the most important findings, limitations of research conducted, and specifying areas of future research in smart cities and waste management.

2 Global-level scenario

Owing to factors such as their rate of economic growth, environmental legislation, and cultural practices, individual countries use different methods and developments to regulate solid waste. Several well-known, globally applied successful waste management techniques are investigated in this paper.

Waste collection and segregation: Many affluent nations, including Germany [ 11 ] and Japan, have established effective waste management systems with the goal of separating rubbish at the source [ 12 ]. In San Francisco, residents are required to sort their waste into three categories: recyclables, compostables, and landfill-bound trash [ 13 ].

Waste Processing and Treatment – Sweden and Denmark are among the countries that employ innovative technologies to handle waste, such as waste incineration with energy recovery [ 14 ]. In Europe, mechanical–biological treatment (MBT) is a commonly used method for waste disposal, combining biological treatment with physical separation [ 15 ].

Recycling and circular economy—The European Union has established high objectives for waste recycling and is actively advocating for the implementation of a circular economy in which garbage is regarded as a valuable resource [ 16 ]. The "Sound Material‒Cycle Society” effort in Japan aims to decrease waste production, encourage recycling, and minimize the use of landfills [ 17 ].

The global disparity in waste management practices is evident when comparing waste generation and recycling rates across different countries (Fig.  2 ). Developed nations such as Germany and South Korea demonstrate high recycling rates, while many developing countries struggle with lower recycling percentages despite generating less waste per capita.

Management of landfills - In numerous affluent nations, sanitary landfills equipped with effective liners, leachate collection, and gas capture technologies are employed to mitigate environmental consequences [ 18 ]. Certain nations, such as the Netherlands, have enforced regulations that prohibit the disposal of specific types of garbage in landfills. This approach aims to promote alternate waste treatment techniques as well as recycling [ 19 ].

Modern technologies: Barcelona (Spain) and Seoul (South Korea) currently have advanced waste management systems, including garbage containers fitted with sensors and software for optimizing waste collection routes [ 20 ]. Additionally, waste management applications, particularly those focusing on waste flow tracking and incentive-based promotion of recycling, are being explored for potential implementation using blockchain technology [ 21 ].

Global Comparison of Municipal Solid Waste Generation and Recycling Rates (2020)

Developed countries have made substantial progress in implementing improved waste management methods [ 22 ]. Similarly, developing countries are also striving to enhance their waste disposal systems, sometimes with assistance from international organizations and financial agencies.

2.1 Key examples

When considering solid waste management in smart cities in Tamil Nadu, it is important to analyse effective techniques and technologies that have been adopted worldwide as mentioned in Table  1 . This section specifically examines prominent examples that provide valuable insights related to the study's goals.

3 National-level scenario

India faces significant challenges in efficiently managing its solid waste, grappling with issues such as inadequate infrastructure, limited public awareness, and the rapid increase in waste generation due to urbanization and changing consumption patterns. The following are the main aspects concerning waste management procedures in India:

Waste Generation and Collection —India produces approximately 62 million tons of solid waste each year, and this number is projected to increase to 165 million tons by 2030. India produces approximately 160,038.9 tons of municipal solid waste per day as shown in Fig.  3 . This represents the total amount of waste created by households, commercial establishments, and other sources across the country. About 152,749.5 tons of waste is collected daily. This suggests relatively high collection efficiency, with about 95.4% of generated waste being gathered by municipal authorities or waste management services. 79,956.3 tons of the collected waste undergoes some form of treatment daily. This could include processes such as composting, recycling, or waste-to-energy conversion. The treatment rate is about 49.9% of the collected waste. 29,427.2 tons of waste ends up in landfills each day. This represents about 18.4% of the total waste generated [ 3 ].The efficiency of waste collection varies throughout the country, with a mean collection rate of approximately 70–90% in urban regions [ 26 ].

Waste composition— The composition of solid waste in India is subject to variation due to variables such as development, financial development, and cultural customs. Organic waste makes up a substantial proportion of the overall waste produced, typically ranging from 40 to 60% [ 27 ] as shown in Fig.  4 .

Garbage Treatment and Disposal— Open dumping and landfilling are the predominant means of garbage management in the nation of India, with within 60–70% of the collected rubbish being deposited in open areas [ 28 ]. Waste treatment facilities, including compost and trash-to-energy plants, are slowly being built in certain places as shown in Fig.  5 , but their ability to handle garbage is still restricted [ 29 ].

Involvement of the informal sector—The informal sector, which includes waste pickers and recyclers, has a substantial impact on waste management in India, namely, in the gathering and reprocessing of valuable materials [ 30 ]. Nevertheless, the informal sector frequently functions in hazardous and unclean environments, devoid of adequate acknowledgement and assistance from the government [ 31 ].

The 2016 Solid Waste Management Rules established a comprehensive framework for managing solid waste in India. This framework emphasizes the importance of site segregation, waste hierarchy, and the participation of stakeholders [ 32 ]. Inadequate infrastructure, budgetary constraints, and a lack of public awareness all contribute to exceptionally difficult implementation of these policies [ 33 ].

Efforts and Recommended Methods —Cities such as Indore and Ambikapur in India have taken innovative approaches to waste management, with a focus on community involvement, decentralization of waste processing, and source segregation of waste [ 34 , 35 ]. Solid waste management has received much attention since the 2014 launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission, which has led to better waste collection and increased public awareness [ 36 ].

Waste generation and collection details in India (2019)

Composition of Solid Waste in India

Waste collection efficiency and treatment capacity by different states of India

4 Tamil Nadu scenario

Tamil Nadu is an Indian state in the southern part of the country that has many problems handling its solid waste well. The architecture of the solid waste management system in Tamil Nadu was shown in the Fig.  6 . Every day, the state makes approximately 14,600 tons of solid waste, approximately 95% of which are picked up as shown in Fig.  7 [ 37 ].

Waste Generation —Tamil Nadu produces an estimated 14,600 tons of solid waste daily. The per capita trash generation varies across the entire state, with metropolitan areas demonstrating higher rates than smaller towns do [ 38 ].

Waste collection— The effectiveness of garbage collection in Tamil Nadu is approximately 95%, with urban local bodies (ULBs) responsible for collecting and transporting waste. Door-to-door collection is implemented in various regions of the state, with an emphasis on the separation of waste at its origin [ 39 ].

Waste composition— The makeup of solid waste in Tamil Nadu differs on the basis of variables such as development, economic growth, and cultural customs as shown in Fig.  8 . Organic waste makes up a substantial proportion of the overall waste produced, with recyclable goods such as paper, plastic, and glass following closely behind [ 40 ].

Waste Treatment and Disposal— Tamil Nadu employs a variety of waste treatment and disposal techniques, such as composting, vermicomposting, biogas plants, and landfilling as shown in Fig.  9 [ 41 ]. Nevertheless, a substantial proportion of the gathered garbage continues to be deposited in exposed dumpsites or landfills, resulting in environmental and health issues [ 8 ].

Smart Cities and Waste Management— Eleven cities in Tamil Nadu were selected to be part of the national Smart Cities Mission, positioning the state as a key participant in India's urban development initiative as detailed in Table  2 . This initiative focuses on creating sustainable and effective urban infrastructure, with a specific emphasis on managing solid waste. Smart cities are undertaking many measures to enhance waste management practices, including source segregation, distributed waste processing, and the utilization of technology for tracking and optimization [ 42 ].

Solid waste management system in Tamil Nadu

District-wise waste generation in Tamil Nadu

Waste composition in major cities of Tamil Nadu

Waste Management Facilities and Processes in Tamil Nadu

Some cities have implemented 'bin-free' or 'bin-less' strategies, removing public waste bins to encourage at-home waste segregation and reduce littering. Although there are ongoing attempts, Tamil Nadu continues to face obstacles in attaining sustainable and efficient solid waste management throughout the state. The state must address significant challenges such as insufficient infrastructure, limited public knowledge, and inadequate financial resources to enhance the overall waste management situation.

4.1 Comparative analysis of waste management approaches in Tamil Nadu smart cities

The smart cities in Tamil Nadu all want to handle waste better, but their methods are very different because of their unique situations, resources, and problems. The state capital, Chennai, has set up a decentralized waste management system that focuses on sorting trash at its source and composting it in communities. The city has also put money into plants that turn trash into energy and is looking into new technologies like plasma gasification. Coimbatore, on the other hand, has focused on a model of public–private partnerships, working with private companies to gather and process trash. The city has established a central composting facility and is testing a "zero waste" scheme in some wards. Managing old trash is challenging for both cities. Chennai is doing a lot of bio-mining at the Perungudi dumpsite, and Coimbatore is trying to clean up the Vellalore landfill. Two other smart cities, Madurai and Tirunelveli, have implemented different approaches. For example, they use self-help groups to pick up trash and encourage people to compost at home. These diverse approaches demonstrate the need for solutions tailored to each city's unique urban structure, population density, and resources in order to achieve the Smart Cities Mission's waste management goals.

5 Challenges and opportunities in Tamil Nadu smart cities

Within the framework of the Smart Cities Mission, the 11 selected cities in Tamil Nadu have placed a strong emphasis on improving solid waste management as a key component of their urban development plans as shown in Fig.  10 . These cities are implementing various innovative strategies to address waste-related challenges, ranging from smart bin systems to community engagement programs for waste reduction and segregation [ 8 ]. While these cities are making efforts to improve their waste management practices, they also face several challenges and opportunities specific to their context.

Waste generation and collection efficiency in smart cities in Tamil Nadu

5.1 Challenges

Inadequate Infrastructure - Many Tamil Nadu smart cities lack sufficient infrastructure for trash collection, travel, and processing [ 43 ]. Current waste management systems, including landfills and composting plants, often operate below their intended capacity or under poor maintenance [ 44 ].

Constrained Segregation at Source: Many Tamil Nadu smart city homes and businesses still do not appropriately separate their garbage despite initiatives to encourage source segregation [ 45 ]. The absence of segmentation at the source renders efficient handling and recycling of garbage challenging, therefore burdening the system for managing waste [ 46 ].

Public Awareness and Participation—Widespread knowledge of the necessity of waste separation, recycling and reuse, and sustainable techniques for handling garbage needs to be raised in Tamil Nadu smart towns [ 47 ]. A lack of interest in waste management initiatives and minimal involvement by the public in such efforts might affect their success [ 48 ].

Owing to the lack of money, smart towns in Tamil Nadu often fail to obtain the funds needed to establish sophisticated systems for waste management [ 49 ]. Because they are expensive to develop and manage, some people do not prefer to use modern waste facilities and tools [ 50 ].

5.2 Opportunities

Technological Interventions : To improve the effectiveness of their waste disposal practices, Tamil Nadu smart cities might employ technological interventions such as data analytics, IoT-based waste tracking systems, and Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled collection trucks [ 51 ]. These technologies can assist in lowering costs, improving general service delivery, and enhancing collection efficiency [ 52 ].

The waste-to- energy potential-anaerobic decomposition and gasification of biomass [ 53 ] allow the organic waste produced in Tamil Nadu smart cities to be transformed into energy via technologies. In addition to helping to lower the amount of waste heading to landfills, waste-to-energy programs create clean electricity for cities [ 54 ].

Circular Economy Approach - With an eye on recovering resources, recycling, and reuse, Tamil Nadu smart towns can apply a circular economy strategy to waste management [ 55 ]. These communities can generate economic possibilities while reducing trash by building regional marketplaces for recycled goods, supporting eco-industrial parks, and pushing creative business models [ 56 ].

Public‒private partnerships (PPPs) might enhance garbage management in smart cities such as Tamil Nadu [ 57 ]. These cities may improve waste management facilities, introduce new technologies, and improve service efficiency with private sector investment [ 58 ].

Tamil Nadu smart cities need holistic and integrated waste management solutions to take advantage of these benefits and overcome these obstacles. This involves regulatory changes, technical advances, stakeholder engagement, and public awareness initiatives. These cities may achieve sustainable and effective solid waste management by adapting global and national best practices.

5.3 Landfill remediation initiatives in Tamil Nadu's smart cities

Some smart cities in Tamil Nadu have realised the significance it is to deal with old waste and are starting new, creative programs to clean up landfills. Chennai, for example, has started a big bio-mining project at the Perungudi dumpsite to get back valuable land and lower the risk to the environment. As part of the project, old trash will have to be dug up and processed to get scraps and turn organic matter into compost. In the same way, Coimbatore has started to clean up the Vellalore dump yard by using cutting edge waste processing methods to lessen the landfill's effect on the environment. These towns are using technologies like bio-mining to get rid of and process old trash, and they are also looking into ways to turn trash into energy so that they can make electricity from recycled materials. Also, landscaping closed landfills is being thought about as a way to make green areas and improve the look of cities. But these attempts to fix things have problems, like the fact that they are expensive, hard to understand technically, and need specialised knowledge. Despite these problems, incorporating landfill remediation into smart city garbage management plans is a big step towards long-term urban growth and protecting the environment in Tamil Nadu.

6 Suggestions for Tamil Nadu smart cities

On the basis of research findings, challenges, and opportunities, Tamil Nadu smart cities should improve solid waste management. The recommendations are categorized into thematic areas and prioritized based on their potential impact and feasibility of implementation as shown in Fig.  11 and Table  3 .

Proposed Tamil Nadu smart city waste management strategies

The suggestions are ranked according to their potential influence and practicality, with an emphasis on enhancing waste segregation, improving infrastructure, encouraging decentralized processing, implementing waste-to-energy initiatives, adopting technology-based solutions, fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors, and promoting circular economy principles.

By adopting these recommendations, Tamil Nadu smart cities can strive to establish an integrated and sustainable solid waste management system as shown in Fig.  12 . This system aims to reduce environmental consequences, maximize resource retrieval, and enhance public health and people's quality of life.

Potential benefits of implementing suggested waste management strategies

7 Conclusion

7.1 summary of findings.

This research aimed to evaluate the present conditions of solid waste management in the smart cities of Tamil Nadu, analyse the obstacles and prospects, and offer recommendations for enhancing garbage collection and segregation methods. This study undertook an extensive examination of exemplary methods worldwide, domestic situations, and the circumstances of smart cities in Tamil Nadu.

The smart cities in Tamil Nadu produce a substantial quantity of solid garbage, with different levels of effectiveness in waste collection throughout the state. Insufficient infrastructure, restricted segregation at the source, low public knowledge, and financial limitations are significant obstacles encountered by cities, such as those involved in effectively managing solid waste. There are opportunities to use technology, promote projects that convert garbage into energy, apply circular economy ideas, and encourage cooperation between the public and private sectors to enhance waste management methods. Global best practices, including efficient source separation, waste-to-energy technology, intelligent waste management systems, and community involvement, provide significant knowledge for smart cities in Tamil Nadu.

7.2 Limitations of this research

Even though this study looked at a lot of different areas, it does have some issues that should be thought about when figuring out what the results mean. A lot of the research was based on data that was presently there. This data may not have been the most current or complete for all the places that were looked at, which could make some of the conclusions less accurate. Also, the focus on 11 smart towns in Tamil Nadu may not fully show the variety of cities in the whole state or country, even though it gives us useful information. Because cities are growing and policies are changing quickly in the waste management field, some results may become out-of-date very quickly. The study may not fully capture all stakeholder views on waste management problems, considering different points from various perspectives have been attempted to be included. This could make it harder to get a full picture of the problems and chances in this field.

7.3 Future Research Directions

This study’s results and limits show a number of interesting areas that could be explored further in the future when it comes to managing solid waste in smart cities. Longitudinal studies that follow the progress and effects of waste management programs in Tamil Nadu's smart towns over a long period of time would give us useful information about how long these strategies will work and how well they work. Including comparisons between Tamil Nadu's smart cities and other cities in India and around the world in the study could help find better ways to do things and come up with new ideas. Future research should also look at how new technologies used in waste management systems affect things in the long run and how long they last. It should also look into how different policy changes affect waste management outcomes in smart cities. For better and more socially accepted waste management practices, it is also important to look into new ways to get more people involved in community and public waste management projects. These new areas of research will not only add to what has already been studied, but they will also help us learn more about how to handle solid trash in smart cities. This could help policymakers and urban planners in India and other places too.

Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. This include: Compiled waste management statistics for the 11 smart cities in Tamil Nadu, sourced from municipal records and state pollution control board reports.

Kaza, S., Shrikanth, S., Chaudhary, S., & Lalitha, H. (2023). What a Waste: A Global Review of Solid Waste Management (2nd ed.). World Bank Group. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/39664

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, which is part of the Government of India, published this information in 2019. Populations residing in urban areas in India. https://mohua.gov.in/

The Central Pollution Control Board, which operates under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, is a government agency in India. 2019. 2018–19 Annual Report. https://cpcb.nic.in/openpdffile.php?id=UmVwb3J0RmlsZXMvMTExOV8xNTk3MDM3NTM0X21lZGlhcGhvdG8xOTY1Ni5wZGY =

The Energy and Resources Institute. (2019). Efficient Waste Management in India: Transitioning to a New Approach. https://www.teriin.org/waste

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, which is under the jurisdiction of the Government of India, published this information in 2021. The Smart Cities Mission. https://mohua.gov.in/cms/smart-cities.php#:~:text=The%20Government%20of%20India%20has,Mission%20on%2025%20June%202015.&text=The%20objective%20is%20to%20promote,application%20of%20'Smart'%20Solutions .

Albino V, Berardi U, Dangelico RM. Smart cities: Definitions, dimensions, performance, and initiatives. J Urban Technol. 2015;22(1):3–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10630732.2014.942092 .

Article   Google Scholar  

Yigitcanlar T, Kamruzzaman M, Buys L, Ioppolo G, Sabatini-Marques J, da Costa EM, Yun JJ. Understanding “smart cities”: Intertwining development drivers with desired outcomes in a multidimensional framework. Cities. 2018;81:145–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2018.04.003 .

Dimpal V. Urbanization and Solid Waste Management in India: Present Practices and Future Challenges. Procedia Soc Behav Sci. 2012;37:437–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.03.309 .

Praharaj S, Han JH, Hawken S. Urban innovation through policy integration: Critical perspectives from 100 smart cities mission in India. City Cult Soc. 2018;12:35–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccs.2017.06.004 .

Rana NP, Luthra S, Mangla SK, Islam R, Roderick S, Dwivedi YK. Barriers to the development of smart cities in Indian context. Inf Syst Front. 2019;21(3):503–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-018-9873-4 .

German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. (2020). Waste Management in Germany 2020. https://www.bmuv.de/en/

Hoornweg, D., & Bhada-Tata, P. (2012). What a waste: a global review of solid waste management. https://hdl.handle.net/10986/17388

San Francisco Department of the Environment. (2021). Zero Waste. https://www.sfenvironment.org/zero-waste-in-SF-is-recycling-composting-and-reuse?repaired

Swedish Waste Management Association. (2022). Swedish Waste Management 2022. https://www.avfallsverige.se/media/lbdg3vcp/svensk_avfallshantering_2022_en.pdf

Bilitewski B. The circular economy and its risks. Waste Manage. 2012;32(1):1–2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2011.10.004 .

European Commission. (2021). Circular economy action plan. https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/circular-economy-action-plan_en

Ministry of the Environment, Japan. (2018). The 4th Fundamental Plan for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society. https://www.env.go.jp/content/900535436.pdf

Environmental Protection Agency. (2021). Landfills. https://www.edf.org/media/epa-unveils-plan-reduce-dangerous-pollution-landfills#:~:text=(Washington%2C%20D.C.%20%E2%80%93%20May%2017,pollution%20emitted%20by%20municipal%20landfills .

Government of the Netherlands. (2021). From a linear to a circular economy. https://www.government.nl/topics/circular-economy/from-a-linear-to-a-circular-economy#:~:text=A%20well%2Dfunctioning%20circular%20economy,to%20a%20second%2Dhand%20shop .

Smart Waste: The Future of Waste Management. (2021). Bee Smart City. https://www.beesmart.city/en/smart-city-blog/covid-19-and-rethinking-smart-waste-management

Saberi S, Kouhizadeh M, Sarkis J. Blockchain technology and its relationships to sustainable supply chain management. Int J Prod Res. 2018;57(7):2117–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2018.1533261 .

Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants. (2021). Waste-to-Energy in Europe. https://www.cewep.eu/what-is-waste-to-energy/

Avfall Sverige, Swedish Waste Management Association. (2020). Swedish Waste Management 2020. https://www.avfallsverige.se/in-english/

Seoul Metropolitan Government. (2021). Smart Waste Management System. https://english.seoul.go.kr/seoul-to-smartly-manage-trash-bins-with-qr-codes/

Prefeitura de Curitiba. (2021). Lixo que não é Lixo (Garbage that is not Garbage). https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?204414/Curitiba-waste-as-resource

Joshi R, Ahmed S. Status and challenges of municipal solid waste management in India: a review. Cogent Environ Sci. 2016;2(1):1139434. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311843.2016.1139434 .

Gupta N, Yadav KK, Kumar V. A review on current status of municipal solid waste management in India. J Environ Sci. 2015;37:206–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2015.01.034 .

Kumar S, Smith SR, Fowler G, Velis C, Kumar SJ, Arya S, Cheeseman C. Challenges and opportunities associated with waste management in India. Royal Soc Open Sci. 2017;4(3): 160764. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160764 .

Mani S, Singh S, Pushpa R, Usha N. Sustainable municipal solid waste management in India: a policy agenda. Procedia Environ Sci. 2016;35:150–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2016.07.064 .

Sandhu K, Burton P, Dedekorkut-Howes A. Between hype and veracity; privatization of municipal solid waste management and its impacts on the informal waste sector. Waste Manage. 2016;59:545–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016.10.012 .

Nandy B, Sharma G, Garg S, Kumari S, George T, Sunanda Y, Sinha B. Recovery of consumer waste in India–A mass flow analysis for paper, plastic and glass and the contribution of households and the informal sector. Resour Conserv Recycl. 2015;101:167–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.05.012 .

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. (2016). Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. https://cpcb.nic.in/uploads/MSW/SWM_2016.pdf

Agarwal A, Singhmar A, Kulshrestha M, Mittal AK. Municipal solid waste recycling and associated markets in Delhi, India. Resour Conserv Recycl. 2005;44(1):73–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2004.09.007 .

Khaitan, S., (2019). How Indore Became India’s Cleanest City (And How Others Can Follow). IndiaSpend. https://www.indiaspend.com/how-indore-became-indias-cleanest-city-and-how-others-can-follow/

Pandey, K., (2023). Ambikapur’s women-led waste management system also generates revenue for the city. Mongabay-India. https://india.mongabay.com/2023/05/ambikapurs-women-led-waste-management-system-also-generates-revenue-for-the-city/

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. (2021). Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban). https://sbmurban.org/

Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. (2021). Annual Report on Implementation of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. https://tnpcb.gov.in/pdf_2021/AnnualRptSolidwaste2021.pdf

Premkumar A, Xavier SA. Household solid waste management in Tamil Nadu: issues and challenges. Towards Excellence. 2021;13(2):928–37.

Jayendira P.S. (2018). Effectiveness of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Tamil Nadu With Special Reference to Thiruvallur District. International Conference on Climate and Environmental Challenges: Retrospect and Prospect. https://doi.org/10.56902/IRBE.2018.1.3.5

Joseph, K., Nagendran, R., & Thanasekaran, K. (Eds.). (2007). Proceedings of the international conference on sustainable solid waste management, September 5–7, 2007. Allied Publishers.

Sanjeevi V, Shahabudeen P. Optimal routing for efficient municipal solid waste transportation by using ArcGIS application in Chennai. India Waste Manag Res. 2016;34(1):3–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X15607430 .

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. (2021). Compendium of Good Practices in Solid Waste Management in Indian Cities. https://smartnet.niua.org/sites/default/files/resources/NIUA-PEARL%20Good%20Practices%20SWM.pdf

Rajput., Rajeev P.G., & Chopra A. (2009). Scenario of solid waste management in present Indian context. Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences, 7(1), 45–53. https://cjes.guilan.ac.ir/article_1016_14710f8de32aadb591c5a5d0c5574b0f.pdf

Rathi., & Sarika. Alternative approaches for better municipal solid waste management in Mumbai. India Waste Manag. 2006;26(10):1192–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2005.09.006 .

Sharholy M, Ahmad K, Mahmood G, Vaishya RC, Gupta R. Municipal Solid Characteristics and Waste Management in Allahabad, India. Waste Manage. 2007;27:490–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2006.03.001 .

Esakku, S., Swaminathan, A., Parthiba Karhtikeyan, O., Kurian, J., & Palanivelu, K. (2007). Municipal solid waste management in Chennai city, India. In Proceedings Sardinia 2007, Eleventh International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium. S. Margherita di Pula, Cagliari, Italy: CISA, Environmental Sanitary Engineering Centre.

Sunil K, Smith SR, Geoff F, Costas V, Kumar S, Jyoti., & Arya Shashi. Challenges and opportunities associated with waste management in India. Royal Soc Open Sci. 2017;4(3):1–11. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160764 .

Narayana T. Municipal solid waste management in India: from waste disposal to recovery of resources? Waste Manage. 2009;29(3):1163–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2008.06.038 .

Sharholy M, Ahmad K, Mahmood G, Trivedi RC. Municipal solid waste management in Indian cities – a review. Waste Manage. 2008;28(2):459–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2007.02.008 .

Singhal A, Gupta AK, Dubey B, Ghangrekar MM. Seasonal characterization of municipal solid waste for selecting feasible waste treatment technology for Guwahati city, India. J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2021;72(2):147–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2021.1980450 .

Annepu, R. K. (2012). Sustainable solid waste management in India (Doctoral dissertation, Columbia University). https://www.nswai.org/docs/Sustainable%20Solid%20Waste%20Management%20in%20India_Final.pdf

Aswin R.V., Mappilllai M., Sasidharan M., & Premkumar K. (2019). IOT Based Smart Garbage Monitoring System Using ZigBee. IEEE International Conference on System, Computation, Automation and Networking (ICSCAN), Pondicherry, India, 2019, pp. 1–7, https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSCAN.2019.8878742

Soni A, Patil D, Argade K. Municipal solid waste management. Procedia Environ Sci. 2016;35:119–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2016.07.057 .

Ramachandra TV, Bachamanda S. Environmental audit of municipal solid waste management. Int J Environ Technol Manag. 2007;7(3–4):369–91.

Ghisellini P, Cialani C, Ulgiati S. A review on circular economy: the expected transition to a balanced interplay of environmental and economic systems. J Clean Prod. 2016;114:11–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.09.007 .

Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2016). Circular economy in India: Rethinking growth for long-term prosperity. https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy-in-india

Ahmed SA, Ali SM. People as partners: Facilitating people’s participation in public-private partnerships for solid waste management. Habitat Int. 2006;30(4):781–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2005.09.004 .

Zhu, D., Asnani, P. U., Zurbrügg, C., Anapolsky, S., & Mani, S. (2007). Improving municipal solid waste management in India: A sourcebook for policymakers and practitioners. World Bank Publications. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/682051468267572634/pdf/425660PUB0Wast12732601OFFICIAL0USE1.pdf

Download references

Acknowledgements

RAMCO Institute of Technology and National Engineering College helped the research greatly with their knowledge, even though they might not agree with all of the ideas in this paper. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board for granting access to crucial waste management data and reports. The municipal corporations of the 11 smart cities in Tamil Nadu for their cooperation in data collection and for facilitating field visits to waste management facilities. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, for providing information and resources related to the Smart Cities Mission. The waste management professionals, municipal officials, and community members who participated in our surveys and interviews, offering invaluable insights into the ground realities of solid waste management in Tamil Nadu.

Not applicable.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ramco Institute of Technology, Rajapalayam, Tamil Nadu, India

S. Valai Ganesh & S. Rajakarunakaran

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, National Engineering College, Kovilpatti, Tamil Nadu, India

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vaigai College of Engineering, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India

S. Godwin Barnabas

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

S. Valai Ganesh- Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Visualization, Writing—Original Draft V. Suresh- Data curation, Writing—Review & Editing S. Godwin Barnabas- Validation, Writing—Review & Editing S. Rajakarunakaran- Supervision, Writing—Review & Editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Valai Ganesh .

Ethics declarations

Competing interests.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Ganesh, S.V., Suresh, V., Barnabas, S.G. et al. Innovative solid waste management strategies for smart cities in Tamil Nadu: challenges, technological solutions, and sustainable prospects. Discov Appl Sci 6 , 660 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-024-06404-0

Download citation

Received : 12 August 2024

Accepted : 28 November 2024

Published : 03 December 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-024-06404-0

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Solid waste management
• Smart cities
• Urban areas
• Sustainability
• Circular economy

Advertisement

• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

• chennai News

‘TN frontrunner in achieving sustainable development goals’

Visual Stories

A New Approach to Water Supply in Developing Cities: Case Study of Chennai, India

Project leads.

• Veena Srinivasan
• Steven Gorelick
• Larry Goulder

This research is a case study of the city of Chennai (formerly Madras), located in the state of Tamil Nadu, in South India. As per the 2001 census, 4.3 million people lived within municipal corporation boundaries; 6.4 million lived in the Chennai urban agglomeration (includes peri-urban towns, suburbs, and villages). Chennai is a particularly water-scarce city. In fact, it has the lowest water availability per capita of any large metropolitan area in India.

A public water utility, the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (called "Metrowater"), serves the municipal corporation area via a piped network. Almost all households in Chennai have some sort of access to public supply: private piped connections, yard handpumps or taps, public standpipes, or utility run "mobile supply" tankers. Outside city limits, peri-urban towns and villages are served by a patchwork of town and village supply schemes, and are mostly dependent on groundwater.

Metrowater obtains most of its water for city supply via three interconnected rain-fed reservoirs, along with well-fields located to the north of the city. In addition, Metrowater also gets water from two inter-basin projects: the inter-state Telugu Ganga Project (water is delivered into the city's reservoir system), and the newly commissioned intra-state Veeranam Project (water is delivered directly to pumping stations). The locations of the sources and the quanities supplied in a good year (by our estimates) are shown in the figure below.

Between 2002 and 2006, the quantity of water available from all these sources varied significantly from month to month. The quantity available to households ranged from 60 to 100 LPCD 5  after pipeline losses, commercial needs were accounted for, and self-supply and supply from private tankers was factored in.

In 2003-2004, Chennai’s reservoirs went completely dry; the piped supply system was virtually shut down for almost a year. The entire city was supplied by “mobile supply”, utility run tankers that went from neighborhood to neighborhood delivering a lifeline supply of water (about 20 liters per capita per day). The cessation of piped supply for almost a year in a large Metropolitan area represented a crisis of severe magnitude and prompted speculation that the city might have to be evacuated if no water was made available soon.

A household survey conducted during the drought showed that over two thirds of households reported depending largely on their private wells. Over 6 percent purchased water from private tanker suppliers who trucked in water extracted from peri-urban agricultural wells.

Research Objectives

As Chennai was suffering a severe water crisis, three very different solutions emerged to address Chennai’s water problems: the utility favored augmenting supply by building desalination plants, economists at the development banks were promoting efficiency improvement by raising tariffs and fixing leaky pipes, while environmental NGOs were promoting harvesting rainwater to recharge the aquifer. The problem was that no framework existed to compare the costs and benefits of this wide range of solutions. The goal of this research is to figure out which of these solutions (or combination of solutions) would be best (efficient, equitable, sustainable) in solving Chennai’s water problems. We address these research goals by asking the following research questions Explain currently observed trends:

• How much water is currently being consumed from different sources, for what purpose, and by whom?
• What is the current state of consumer well-being? Develop a baseline forecast.
• How much water will be consumed from different sources, for what purpose and by whom in 2025 given expected growth in population, income, and water infrastructure?
• What is the baseline future state of consumer well-being? Examine policy solutions.
• How will the three different solution approaches affect the quantity of water consumed by different consumers from different sources?

Research Method

To address the research goals laid out, we developed an integrated dynamic simulation model as shown in  Figure II . The integrated model is a transient, spatially explicit model of the Chennai basin, which incorporates the linkage of three scales: user-scale consumer behavior, utility-scale operations, and basin-scale water resources simulation modeling.

The model was run for two periods: The historical run from 2002 to 2006 used to calibrate the model and develop insights on the Chennai water system, and forecasting runs from 2007 to 2025 were used to develop scenarios of Chennai's water supply situation in 2025 and test the effects of various policies.

The integrated model consists of five inter-linked modules. Each module is divided into sub-modules consisting of one or more linked equations, which are calibrated independently.

Spatial and Temporal Units The model was run with a time-step of 3-months to capture seasonality. The spatial discretisation of the modules varied. The groundwater model was a grid-based MODFLOW model covering the Chennai-basin area of 50.8 km * 50.8 km. Each grid cell was 0.22 km * 0.22 km. The consumer and utility modules used census units (corporation zone within the city, census block outside).

Simulations

Historical Run The integrated model was run over the period from January 2002-January 2006. This period included a multi-year drought (2003-2004), as well as a year in which Chennai received the highest rainfall in recorded history (2005) as shown in  Figure III.

When presenting model results, we offer comparisons using the two climatic extremes as reference periods: Jan-Apr 2004 (dry) and Jan-Apr 2006 (wet) following the record rains.

The historical run showed that the Chennai reservoir system is capacity-constrained (given inflows and diversions). This made utility supply highly variable and intermittent. In periods when utility supply was reduced due to lack of availability, consumers depended on private and community wells. As extractions increased and recharge was lower, groundwater levels fell. As the aquifer dried up, so did consumer wells, forcing customers to purchase tanker water. (Tanker water is an order of magnitude more expensive than the cost of groundwater or utility supply.) Thus, consumers suffered significant losses in well-being, which the model allowed us to quantify.

Chennai 2025 Baseline Scenarios The model was then extrapolated to 2025 by extrapolating population, income, and land use changes. A 100 million liters per day desalination plant was assumed to be commissioned in 2009. The model used different rainfall scenarios by repeating stretches of the historical rainfall record in the period from 2008-2025.

The baseline scenarios yielded two interesting results. First, contrary to our expectations, increased urbanization and the consequent displacement of irrigated agriculture did not "free up" additional water for urban uses elsewhere. Instead, rising populations, incomes, and commercial and industrial growth consumed most of the water previously used by irrigated agriculture. Secondly, the 100 million liters per day desalination plant, assumed to be commissioned in 2009, did not alleviate a multi-year drought significantly. The utility supply still would have needed to be shut down, and the aquifer dried up to generate a big tanker market. However, if the desalination plant did prevent the situation from getting worse, it would allow the water utility to keep pace with the increase in demand due to rising populations and incomes.

Chennai 2025 Policy Scenarios The model was then extrapolated to 2025 by extrapolating population, income, and land use changes. The model used different rainfall scenarios by repeating stretches of the historical rainfall record in the period from 2008-2025.

We compared and presented results from three different policy situations:

• Supply Augmentation: Increasing reservoir capacity 50% and adding a second 100 million liters per day desalination plant.
• Efficiency Improvement: Increasing piped supply tariffs and reducing pipeline leakage.
• Rainwater Harvesting: Improving recharge in the aquifer by rooftop rainwater harvesting and community-based storm water harvesting.

Key Insights from the Model The model replicated all aspects of the 2003-2004 drought; the city’s reservoirs dried up and the piped supply system shut-down. As consumers became increasing dependent on private wells, the aquifer dried up and consumers were forced to purchase expensive private tanker water, causing much distress to consumers. The research predicts that given Chennai’s rainfall patterns and limited reservoir capacity, the severe water crisis which occurred in 2003-2004 is likely to occur again, even if the proposed 100 million liters per day desalination plant is constructed.

Building additional desalination plants would make more water available but is not cost-effective at current technology and energy prices. Instead, the model found that raising tariffs, fixing the leaky distribution network, and implementing aggressive rainwater harvesting are cost-effective and could significantly alleviate a future water crisis.

This research suggests adopting a “dual-quality” solution for water-scarce cities like Chennai. The dual-quality solution would require altering the plumbing code to encourage builders to keep water quality separate in buildings and houses. The utility will provide high-quality, high-cost, metered, 24*7 water supply via the piped distribution network for kitchen use (drinking, cooking, dish-washing), while consumers would continue to rely on private wells for bathroom use (flushing, bathing, clothes washing) of water.

Publications

Srinivasan, V., S. M. Gorelick, and L. Goulder. 2010. A hydrologic-economic modeling approach for analysis of urban water supply dynamics in Chennai, India,  Water Resources Research . vol. 46, W07540, doi:10.1029/2009WR008693. 

Srinivasan, V., S. M. Gorelick, and L. Goulder. 2010. Sustainable urban water supply in South India: Desalination, Efficiency Improvement, or Rainwater Harvesting?,  Water Resources Research . vol. 46, doi:10.1029/2009WR008698.

Srinivasan, V., L. Goulder, and S.M. Gorelick. 2010. Factors determining informal tanker water markets in Chennai, India,  Water International . vol. 35, no. 3, p. 254-269.  

Srinivasan, V., K. Seto, R. Emerson, and S.M. Gorelick. 2013. The impact of urbanization on water vulnerability—A coupled  human - environment system approach for Chennai, India,  Global Environmental Change  -  Human and Policy Dimensions,   vol . 23 , Issue: 1, 229-23  doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2012.10.002