Aafrin Kidwai The Niti Aayog and Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) have released Waste-wise Cities: Best practices in municipal solid waste management which shares how Indian cities are managing their solid waste.
The new report is the result of a country-wide study and survey jointly conducted by NITI Aayog and CSE. It showcases the best practices in 10 different thematic areas of waste management.
The repository is the result of five months of extensive on-ground collective research that was initiated in July 2021. The entire gamut of municipal solid waste management has been seen from a cross-section of 10 different aspects that explains a sustainable value chain. These thematic aspects range from source segregation, material recovery and technological innovations to the management of different kinds of wastes and systems such as biodegradables, plastics, e-waste, C&D waste and landfills.
Sunita Narain, who directed the research along with Rajeswara Rao, said: “The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) 2.0, launched on September 1, 2021, is now based on a clear strategy for solid waste management in cities – a strategy that focuses source segregation, material reprocessing, and zero-landfills. This change needs to be recognised and disseminated so that waste does not add to contamination and become a public health menace. Waste should become a resource to be reworked, reused, and upcycled.”
According to Rajiv Kumar, “Waste management operations have been studied and incorporated in the publication to create greater capacities among officials of urban local bodies and other relevant stakeholders at the city level to implement efficient solid waste management systems.”
Among the success stories is that of Ambikapur, Alappuzha, Indore, Pune, Bhopal, Surat, Dhenkanal, Gangtok, Jamshedpur. Bengaluru’s ICT solutions have been discussed, along with Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh; Leh (Ladakh) has found a mention in the report for its solar-powered waste management system, while Delhi and Gurugram have been upheld for their management of construction and demolition waste.
CSE and NITI Aayog would be jointly hosting workshops across the country to disseminate the learnings from these best cases to other cities.
