The CII Task Force on waste management has charted out Draft National Guidelines for Solid Waste Management, outlining ways to tackle this major challenge for administrators in the country’s urban and rural areas.

Amit Gossain, Chairman of the Task Force, said about 1,15,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste is generated daily, posing a big problem to administrators in managing its disposal without causing harm to the environment.

The national task force on MSW management was constituted in 2008. Initially, one set of guidelines was announced, making States and civic bodies central to waste management. “Now, this is aimed at making it a national initiative. This will then be presented to the Union Urban Development Ministry. After seeking views and incorporating them, the final policy will be announced,” he said.

Gossain, who is Executive Vice-President of construction equipment major JCB India, told Business Line that the urban population is growing at 3-3.5 per cent a year and the annual increase in solid waste generation is up about 5 per cent. The solid waste generated by cities with a population of one million and above varies from 1,200 tonnes per (tpd) day in cities like Ahmedabad and Pune to over 5,000-5,500 tpd in Delhi and Mumbai.

PPP Model

The Urban Development Ministry had formulated a waste management scheme for class-I cities and towns, indicating a budget requirement of nearly Rs 2,500 crore. It wants the Twelfth Finance Commission to allocate funds to urban local bodies.

The public-private-partnership mode for managing urban waste was suggested to access funds and improve efficiency.

As a part of the CII Mission, JCB has broad-based this initiative by instituting national awards. Successful projects will be awarded, Gossain said.

rishikumar.vundi@thehindu.co.in

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