MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, Civic Association Ink Treaty on Solid Waste Management and Public Health

From left, Koushik HR, Deputy Regional Commissioner, GCC, Soumya Swaminathan, Chairman, MSSRF, and Mallam Rajesh, Municipal Health Officer, GWMC, at an event held to sign a memorandum of understanding for a solid waste management project in Chennai on Tuesday. | Photo credit: R. RAGU

MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to implement a solid waste management project funded by the Wellcome Trust, UK.

The four-year Clean Land, Equitable Air & Resilience (CLEAR) transdisciplinary action research program will be implemented in Chennai and Warangal in collaboration with IIT-Madras, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER) and Shristi Waste Management Services. The project aims to generate environmental and public health data to strengthen waste management systems and the health system’s response to climate risks from waste.

At the launch, Soumya Swaminathan, chair of the MSSRF and a former chief scientist at the World Health Organization, said she hoped the initiative would become more than just a research project and help advance the field of environmental health by bringing together experts across disciplines. The project would link environmental monitoring with health data to help governments better understand pollution-related health risks and measure the impact of interventions, she said.

Koushik HR, Deputy Regional Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation, said the project recognizes the nexus between land, air and public health, targeting vulnerable communities living near landfills that are often left out of policy making. Chennai produces around 6,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day, he said, adding that the GCC will support the project and use its findings to strengthen evidence-based waste management.

Prathibha Ganesan, the MSSRF principal scientist who will lead the project, said CLEAR will map landfill emissions, examine health impacts on nearby residents, children and informal waste workers, and translate the results into public health and public health measures. The project will also support waste audits, improve resource segregation, train health workers and municipal officials, and work with informal waste management workers to find alternative livelihood options.

Mallam Rajesh, Municipal Health Officer, GWMC; A. Somasundaram, Additional Director, Directorate of Public Health; Kalpana Balakrishnan, Professor and Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at SRIHER; were among those present.

Published – 28 Jul 2026 21:01 IST