Identify the correct statements about urban waste disposal.
(A) The environmental pollution due to solid waste is not very significant in urban areas of India due to low level of urbanisation.
(B) Dumping industrial waste into rivers causes water pollution.
(C) Solid waste refers to a variety of old and used articles.
(D) Solid waste from industrial units is collected and disposed off on low-lying public grounds.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (B), (C) and (D) only
Cities produce a lot of solid waste from homes, shops and factories. Getting rid of it safely is a growing problem, because cities are crowded and the amount of waste keeps rising.
(A) The environmental pollution due to solid waste is not very significant in urban areas of India due to low level of urbanisation. — Incorrect. The opposite is true: solid-waste pollution has now got significance, and urban waste disposal is a serious problem.
(B) Dumping industrial waste into rivers causes water pollution. — Correct. Factories in and around cities often throw their waste into nearby rivers. The river water turns dirty, and people living downstream suffer serious health problems.
(C) Solid waste refers to a variety of old and used articles. — Correct. This is the definition of solid waste. Broken glass, plastic bags, ash and old CDs thrown away are all examples.
(D) Solid waste from industrial units is collected and disposed off on low-lying public grounds. — Correct. Waste from factories is taken away by the city’s public (municipal) services and dumped on low, open land known as landfill areas.
NCERT (2026-27): “Urban Waste Disposal … Urban areas are generally marked by overcrowding, congestion, inadequate facilities to support the fast growing population and consequent poor sanitary conditions and foul air. Environmental pollution by solid wastes has now got significance because of enormous growth in the quantity of wastes generated from various sources. Solid waste refers to a variety of old and used articles, for example stained small pieces of metals, broken glassware, plastic containers, polythene bags, ash, floppies, CDs, etc., dumped at different places. These discarded materials are also termed as refuse, garbage and rubbish, etc., and are disposed of from two sources : (i) household or domestic establishments, and (ii) industrial or commercial establishments. The household wastes are disposed off either on public lands or on private contractors’ sites, whereas the solid wastes of industrial units are collected and disposed off through public (municipal) facilities at low lying public grounds (landfill areas).” “Concentration of industrial units in and around urban centres gives rise to disposal of industrial wastes. The dumping of industrial waste into rivers leads to water pollution. River pollution from city-based industries and untreated sewage leads to serious health problems downstream.” |