Communication exposure, knowledge and waste-management constraints among local implementing stakeholders in Gwalior district, Madhya Pradesh

Introduction

Household waste management involves the generation, storage, segregation, collection, transportation, treatment and final disposal of waste produced at the household level. Proper management of household waste is important for maintaining environmental quality, protecting public health and promoting sustainable community practices. Effective waste management also depends on household awareness, appropriate communication and the availability of supporting institutional systems. In India, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) has emphasised solid and liquid waste management at household and community levels and has promoted practices such as source segregation, recycling and reduction of plastic waste through Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns, training programmes and mass-awareness activities. Madhya Pradesh has adopted a cluster-based integrated solid waste-management approach involving Urban Local Bodies, although complete household-level segregation has not yet been achieved. Communication is therefore an important component of household waste-management implementation. The thesis literature indicates that IEC activities need to be simple, locally contextualised, participatory and delivered through involvement of relevant stakeholders, while different communication methods may perform differently across www.extensionjournal.com target groups. Studies reviewed in the thesis have reported the importance of interpersonal communication, print material, digital platforms, mass media and community-based interventions in improving awareness and wastemanagement practices. However, effective implementation of household waste management does not depend solely on household awareness. Local officials and elected public representatives play an important role in communicating waste-management information, supporting awareness activities and addressing implementation-level problems. In the present study, a separate group of 10 officials and elected public representatives comprising 4 Nagar Nigam officials, 2 Sarpanch, 2 Upsarpanch and 2 Ward Members was interviewed to obtain the perspective of the implementing agency.

The thesis data provide information on the stakeholders' information-source use, social participation, communicationmethod exposure, waste-management knowledge and observed constraints. Among the information sources, Panchayat/Nagar Nigam publicity was reported as "Always" used by 60.00 per cent of the stakeholders, while TV/Radio and Social Media were each reported by 30.00 per cent. The separate stakeholder assessment also examined knowledge level and constraints, providing an institutional perspective that complements the household-level findings. Despite the availability of communication channels and institutional programmes, implementation challenges remain. Communication exposure was assessed using a three-point continuum, assigning scores of 3 for Always, 2 for Sometimes and 1 for Never. Knowledge regarding household waste management was assessed through the prescribed knowledge items and respondents were classified into low, medium and high knowledge categories. The study also recorded constraints observed by the stakeholders in household waste-management implementation. The collected data were analysed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and Pearson's correlation coefficient, as appropriate to the respective variables.

Since the stakeholder sample comprised only 10 respondents, the findings are interpreted as descriptive and exploratory evidence from local implementing stakeholders and are not intended to represent all implementing agencies in Gwalior district.

Results and Discussion

Communication Exposure among Local Implementing Stakeholders

The communication exposure of the 10 local implementing stakeholders was assessed across different information sources used for household waste-management awareness. The assessment considered the reported frequency of use of each source. The findings showed that Panchayat/Nagar Nigam publicity was the most frequently used information source, with 60.00 per cent of stakeholders reporting its use always. TV/Radio and Social Media were each reported as always used by 30.00 per cent of stakeholders. In contrast, newspaper use was reported as always by only 10.00 per cent, while 50.00 per cent reported never using it. The findings revealed that wall painting was the most frequently used communication method, with 70.00 per cent of stakeholders reporting its use always and a mean score of 2.70, followed by door-to-door/face-to-face contact and advertisement on public vehicles, each with a mean score of 2.40. Among individual/group contact methods, door-todoor/face-to-face contact was the most frequently used, while demonstration was comparatively less used. Among massmedia sources, Internet/Website Articles and newspapers were more frequently used than magazines. Among visual communication methods, wall painting and advertisements on public vehicles were prominent, whereas chart use was comparatively limited. For audio-visual methods, television recorded the highest mean score (2.20), while recorded video tape had a lower score (1.60). Overall, the findings suggest that stakeholders relied more on visible and direct communication approaches, particularly wall paintings, face-to-face contact and public-vehicle advertisements, than on less frequently used channels such as magazines, digital audio and audio podcasts.

Communication-Method

Knowledge Level of Local Implementing Stakeholders Regarding Household Waste Management

The knowledge level of the 10 local implementing stakeholders regarding household waste management was assessed using the prescribed knowledge scale. Respondents were classified into low, medium and high knowledge categories according to their knowledge scores. The findings revealed that the majority of local implementing stakeholders (70.00%) possessed a medium level of knowledge regarding household waste management, followed by 20.00 per cent with a high level of knowledge. Only 10.00 per cent of respondents belonged to the lowknowledge category. The mean knowledge score was 37.30 ± 3.84, indicating an overall moderate level of knowledge among the stakeholders. These findings suggest that although most implementing stakeholders possessed a satisfactory base of knowledge regarding household waste management, there remains scope for strengthening technical and practical knowledge, particularly among stakeholders falling within the low and medium categories. Capacity-building programmes can therefore focus on improving knowledge related to waste segregation, processing, recycling and other operational aspects of household waste management.

Relationship of Selected Variables with Knowledge Level among Local Implementing Stakeholders

The relationship between selected profile and communication-related variables and knowledge level regarding household waste management was examined using Pearson's correlation coefficient (r). The analysis was conducted among the 10 local implementing stakeholders. www.extensionjournal.com The findings revealed that social participation had the strongest positive and highly significant relationship with knowledge level (r = 0.863)**. Communication-method exposure also showed a positive and significant relationship with knowledge (r = 0.735*), followed by information-source exposure (r = 0.712*). Age (r = 0.670*) and annual income (r = 0.645*) also showed positive and significant associations with knowledge. Education (r = 0.295) and gender (r = 0.265) showed positive but non-significant relationships. Occupation (r = -0.209) and family size (r = -0.329) showed negative but nonsignificant relationships with knowledge level.

Waste-Management Constraints Observed by Local Implementing Stakeholders

The major constraints observed by the 10 local implementing stakeholders in household waste management were assessed based on their reported frequency of occurrence. The constraints were recorded on a three-point scale of Always, Sometimes and Never. The findings revealed that irregular timing of the wastecollection vehicle and lack of knowledge about wastemanagement practices were the most frequently reported constraints, with each being reported as "Always" by 80.00 per cent of the stakeholders. This was followed by lack of awareness about waste management (70.00%) and inadequate infrastructure of the local body/municipality (60.00%).

The non-availability of separate dustbins was reported as an "Always" constraint by 50.00 per cent and as a "Sometimes" constraint by another 50.00 per cent of stakeholders. Similarly, non-availability of waste-collection vehicle/ service was reported as "Always" by 40.00 per cent, "Sometimes" by 30.00 per cent and "Never" by 30.00 per cent.

In contrast, lack of cooperation from neighbours was the least frequently observed constraint, with 80.00 per cent of stakeholders reporting that they never faced this issue. Overall, the stakeholder responses point particularly towards irregular waste-collection services and gaps in wastemanagement knowledge and awareness as important implementation-level concerns. These findings support the need for more reliable collection schedules and continued capacity-building and awareness activities among households.

Conclusion

The study assessed communication exposure, knowledge and waste-management constraints among 10 local implementing stakeholders in Gwalior district, Madhya Pradesh. The findings showed that Panchayat/Nagar Nigam publicity was the most frequently used information source, while wall painting, door-to-door/face-to-face contact and advertisements on public vehicles were among the prominent communication methods. The overall communicationmethod exposure score was 29.00 ± 4.71. Regarding knowledge, the majority of stakeholders (70.00%) possessed a medium level of knowledge, followed by 20.00 per cent with a high level and 10.00 per cent with a low level. The mean knowledge score was 37.30 ± 3.84. Social participation showed the strongest positive association with knowledge (r = 0.863), followed by communicationmethod exposure (r = 0.735), information-source exposure (r = 0.712), age (r = 0.670) and annual income (r = 0.645). These findings suggest that greater participation and exposure to communication channels were associated with higher knowledge among the stakeholders. The major constraints observed were irregular timing of the waste-collection vehicle and lack of knowledge about wastemanagement practices, each reported as "Always" by 80.00 per cent of stakeholders. Lack of awareness about waste management was another important constraint, reported as "Always" by 70.00 per cent. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of strengthening communication-based awareness activities, improving stakeholder knowledge and ensuring reliable waste-collection services. Since the study was based on only 10 implementing stakeholders, the findings should be interpreted as descriptive and exploratory evidence rather than generalisable estimates.

Recommendations / Practical Implications

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