What a waste: Can India get rid of its garbage mountains?

What a waste: Can India get rid of its garbage mountains?

Author: The Hindu August 28, 2026 Duration: 38:15
India has a waste management problem. Though we reportedly collect 90% of our municipal solid waste, nearly 40% does not enter formal processing. Due to this large share that is out of the formal processing system, most Indian cities have garbage mountains – open dump sites and landfills. These dump sites have been linked to groundwater contamination and other public health risks. Critically, they are massive sources of non-CO2 greenhouse gases such as Methane.How to eliminate or shrink these dump sites? How to ensure that waste segregation is followed all the way from the collection point till the end of the fresh-waste disposal chain? What are the chances India can reduce landfill methane emissions to zero?A new report, titled ‘Municipal Solid Waste Management in : Policy and Technology Pathways for Climate Action’, says that with the right reforms, can reduce waste sector methane emissions by 99% within 10–15 years. Guests: Zerin Osho, Director of the Indian Program at the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (IGSD), and Akshat Patni, Senior Adviser with IGSD. Host: G. Sampath Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian and Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Each week, the journalists at In Focus by The Hindu select one pressing story from the news cycle and slow it down. Rather than a rapid headline, you’ll hear a thoughtful conversation that unpacks the layers behind an event-the historical precedents, the economic forces, the political nuances, and the human impact. This podcast relies on conversations with reporters who have been on the ground and specialists who have spent years, sometimes decades, studying a particular issue. The result is a clearer, more substantive understanding of what’s happening in India and around the world. You might explore the roots of a regional conflict one episode, and dive into the complexities of a new environmental policy the next. It’s designed for anyone who feels that the daily news skim leaves too many questions unanswered. Tune in for a consistent, deep-dive format that prioritizes context over instant reaction, making sense of the week’s most significant developments through careful analysis and expert insight.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

In Focus by The Hindu
Podcast Episodes
In Focus-Parley | Is English a foreign language in India? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:03
The Supreme Court has been discussing linguistics this month, while hearing challenges to the CBSE’s three-language formula, which mandates that two of the three must be native Indian languages, a category that does not…
Can you get dementia from long-term exposure to traffic noise? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:07
Road traffic noise is a major environmental pollutant. Indian cities are cacophonous. They are not designed to insulate residents from sustained exposure to traffic noise. A new research paper has found a worrying link b…
How water stressed are Indian cities? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:12
This year, residents in several Indian cities -from Mumbai to Bengaluru - have experienced a shortage in water supply. India's big cities are expanding in terms of size and population. This has also meant a strain on exi…
Do metro cities have space for pedestrians? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:19
What does it say about our cities when the Supreme Court has to remind governments that people have a fundamental right to walk? The Court’s recent judgment on footpaths has put a very basic question back on the table -…
Why are tribal students still dropping out of school in Kerala? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:19
Kerala is known for its high literacy rate and strong public education system. Yet, several tribal communities in the State continue to face barriers in accessing and completing education. According to the 2011 Census, t…