Solid Waste Management in Indian Himalayan Region: Current Scenario, Resource Recovery, and Way Forward for Sustainable Development

With the growing population, solid waste management (SWM) is becoming a significant environmental challenge and an emerging issue, especially in eco-sensitive Indian Himalayan region (IHR). Though IHR does not host high local inhabitants, tourist footfall increases wastes significantly. The lack of appropriate SWM facilities has posed serious threat to mountain-dwelling communities. challenging highlands due remoteness, topographical configuration, increasing urbanization, harsh climate compared plain areas. Difficulty managing led improper disposal methods, like open dumping burning waste, that are adversely affecting fragile ecosystem. Open unsegregated pollutes freshwater streams, releases major pollutants often linked glacier melt. Processes composting, vermicomposting, anaerobic digestion treat biodegradable inefficient regions' extreme cold conditions. specific rules were revised 2016 deal with rising problem SWM, providing detailed criteria for setting up treatment promoting waste-to-energy (WtE). Despite governments' effort revise SWM; measures proper collection, segregation, treatment, needs more attention IHR. Door-to-door segregation at source, covered transportation, primary steps resource recovery across Approaches such as recycling, digestion, refuse-derived fuel (RDF), gas from landfills essential alteration into valuable products initiatives 'ban on single-use plastic' 'polluters pay' have potential role Research technology, capacity building, mass awareness programs, ‘ban plastic’ ‘polluters pay’ This review highlights current status generation, practices, challenges also discusses possible IHR, corrective introduced by government and, way forward improved achieving sustainable development