Srinagar, Oct. 24 -- Garbage pile at the edge of a city is often treated as the end of a process and in reality, it is evidence of where the process failed. Every heap of mixed waste, every overflowing collection point and every dumping ground tells a story of planning that did not happen, systems that did not work and responsibilities that were not enforced.

The recent review of urban waste management has brought that failure into sharp focus and the concerns raised are not new. They have appeared repeatedly in audits, reports and official assessments over the years. Yet the same issues continue to surface: poor segregation at source, gaps in collection, inadequate transportation systems, shortcomings in processing facilities, weak plan...