Haryana Chief Secretary T V S N Prasad announced that the state government has declared a municipal solid waste exigency in Gurugram.
The SWEEP initiative aims to tackle Gurugram's growing waste crisis by implementing comprehensive measures for waste collection, segregation, transportation, processing, and disposal across all 35 wards. Additional steps include a 24x7 control room, a GIS-based waste tracking map, and an awareness campaign. Daily reports will be submitted, and violations may result in fines or imprisonment. This move follows the Supreme Court's order emphasizing the right to a pollution-free environment.
Gurugram houses headquarters of top tech startups and companies including BharatPe, Info Edgde, Dhelivery, Zomato, MakeMytrip, and ReNeW Power. The city has witnessed rapid growth and this led to increased waste generation, straining existing infrastructure.
Gurugram and state authorities have failed to utilize the home grown companies working in waste management sector. The Haryana city, geographically located next to India's capital Delhi, is dubbed as "Cybercity". The city houses few waste management start-up companies. Ecogreen Energy is one of these which operates state-of-the-art waste management projects in Gurugram, Faridabad, Lucknow, and Gwalior. Another, Dump In Bin makes pavers and bricks from plastic and construction waste. 3R Zerowaste, is an another promising waste management startup, based out of Gurugram, that aims to reuse solid waste as an alternative to fossil-based feedstock.
Notably, Managing municipal solid waste (MSW) poses several challenges, including efficiently collecting waste from households, commercial areas, and public spaces requires well-organized systems. Inadequate infrastructure, irregular schedules, and improper handling can hinder effective collection. Proper waste segregation at the source is crucial. Lack of awareness, mixed waste disposal, and insufficient facilities for separate collection of recyclables, organic waste, and hazardous materials contribute to this challenge.
Waste management in India is a critical issue, and addressing it effectively requires concerted efforts. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) oversees waste management in India. In 2016, the MoEF&CC introduced the Solid Wastage Management (SWM) Rules, replacing the previous Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules that had been in place for 16 Years.
Despite challenges, several Indian cities have implemented successful waste management models including Indore, Alleppey (Kerala), Panaji, Mysuru, Aizawl, Pune, Suryapet (Telangana), and Surat which have made significant strides in waste management and could serve as models for the country.
In a successful waste management case study example, the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) enforced mandatory waste segregation at the source into wet (biodegradable) and dry (recyclable) categories. Over 600 GPS-enabled vehicles collect segregated waste daily from households and commercial establishments, in a door to door manner, in Indore. A state-of-the-art facility handles 1,000 metric tons of waste daily, including a 15 MW waste-to-energy plant and a 200 TPD composting plant.
Addressing solid waste management challenges requires a holistic approach involving government, communities, and private sectors to create sustainable waste management systems.
Top Image — Flickr
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