Aafrin Kidwai 
Photo by Collab Media on Unsplash
Maharashtra’s urban development department has received detailed project reports from 28 cities, including Pune, Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur, and Solapur, regarding the cleanup of old landfill sites. These cities account for approximately 80% of the total 84 legacy waste sites. The department says that the remaining 56 project reports will be ready by next month, and all sites have received technical clearances.
The cities have submitted plans and timelines for clearing the sites, which is expected to take over a year and should be completed by the end of this year or early next year, depending on the amount of waste to be cleared. The state urban development department initiated the process through the Swachh Bharat Mission, announced in 2021, which requires local authorities to submit action plans for the bioremediation of legacy landfills. The project reports outline a clear timeline for clearing the sites, after which they can be used for purposes other than habitation, such as afforestation, reports The Times of India.
The urban development department has established a dashboard to monitor the progress of making all cities garbage-free by 2026, which was launched in October 2021.
