All legacy dumpsites containing 16 crore metric tonnes of waste, and occupying 15,000 acres of prime land, will be remediated within the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0. period under the 'Lakshya Zero Dumpsite Challenge', Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri said at the inaugural event of Swachh Shehar Samvad and Tech Exhibition held in the Capital on September 29.
Speaking about the 'Lakshya Zero Dumpsite Challenge', he noted that Action Plans for over 1,000 legacy dumpsites, including those in Delhi, containing 12.8 crore metric tonnes waste have been approved by MoHUA, with total project cost of more than Rs 8000 crore, of which the Centre is contributing almost Rs 3,000 crore.
Bio-methanation plants and waste-to-energy plants are being put up in large cities, he said.
Waste processing capacities of urban local bodies in the country have increased from a mere 18 percent in 2014 to 73 percent at present, Puri said while adding that the government is now accelerating implementation to reach 100 percent saturation at the earliest.
He said that as a result of efforts under SBM, all 4,372 ULBs in India have now been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF).
“Not only did we build over 73.45 lakh individual and community toilets, we also restored dignity and health to millions of urban poor, including the Divyang Jan,” he said.
'Swachh Shehar Samvad' and the Tech Exhibition was inaugurated by Puri on September 29. Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), senior officers from the ministry, representatives of state governments and other stakeholders were also present at the event.
Noting the importance of ‘Waste to Wealth’ for a circular economy and efforts of government for transforming India to a ‘Garbage-Free India’, Puri said that “India is embarking on its next journey of Swachhata under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0. We are now targeting to go from an ODF India to a ‘Garbage-Free India."
The second iteration of the Mission has been launched with an overall outlay of nearly 2.5 times of the first mission. Continuing with the ethos of SBM (U), the overarching principle towards this next journey of Swachhata is based on the philosophy of “waste to wealth”, and adopts the principles of circular economy as its core tenets, the minister added.
He spoke about setting up of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in every city for ensuring further sorting, processing or recycling of segregated dry waste and setting up of processing/upcycling facilities for Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste.
'Swachh Shehar Samvad' & the Tech Exhibition is a capacity building initiative of the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0 to equip states and cities with an understanding of all recent developments in waste management. States and cities will deliberate on strategies, best practices, and challenges in their journey towards Garbage Free status. The Tech exhibition showcases models in waste management from across the country is also a part of the Samvad. Around 35 technology providers are demonstrating cutting edge technology in waste management, the ministry said in a statement.
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