Technology and tradition clash in India

摘要

When India's first waste incineration plant, designed to generate 4 MW of electricity by burning 300 tonnes of rubbish daily, was commissioned in New Delhi in 1988, officials billed it as the technological solution to the problem created by mountains of municipal waste. Such plants were to be built nationwide. It was therefore a surprise when the plant closed down in 1992, after remaining idle for four years, and without having produced any electricity (see Nature 359, 763; 1992).