Is India doing enough to combat its waste management and pollution crisis?

India is battling a waste management and pollution crisis, identified by UNEP as among the three planetary crises. Several areas of Delhi-NCR face both challenges. The Bandhwari landfill in Gurgaon stubbornly stands as a symbol of environmental damage. Bhalswa, Ghazipur and Okhla (NCR), Deonar and Mulund (Mumbai), and Mittaganahalli (Bengaluru) are among the 2,400 landfills across cities and towns.

As winter sets in, residents grow increasingly concerned about the sharp decline in AQI. Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is periodically invoked to keep toxicity in the NCR within liveable limits. Managing waste remains challenging for thousands of local bodies and those spearheading ambitious urban rejuvenation plans.

Some policy alertness is visible:

• Over half of the 2,500 lakh tonnes of legacy waste and more than 1,000 dumpsites have been remediated in recent years.

• Approximately half of the 15,000 acres locked up in these dumps have been recovered.

• Indore has long been a leader, with cities like Lucknow following suit, turning recovered land into green spaces.

• India generates an estimated 1.6 lakh tonnes of solid waste per day, comprising various materials, including municipal solid waste, industrial waste and construction debris. Of this, 80% is processed - a remarkable increase from 18% in 2016.

• Door-to-door waste collection across the country's 96,000 urban wards is nearly 100%, a feat once considered unthinkable.

• Material recovery centres, composting units, bio-methanation and waste- to-energy plants are steadily increasing processing capacity.

• GoI has declared a shift from 'manhole to machine-hole', aiming for 100% mechanical desludging of septic tanks and sewers.

• Supported by survey-backed competition, cities and villages of all sizes aspire to earn the clean badge, with SBM continuing to drive progress.

In the most recent Haryana and Delhi assembly elections, waste management and pollution featured on public platforms, raising hopes for change. The new Delhi government swiftly introduced several measures, including deploying water sprinklers, anti-smog guns, increasing mechanical sweepers and promoting clean-energy vehicles to combat pollution. Monitoring of drains and wastewater from sewage treatment plants is also being prioritised, as cleaning up the Yamuna has come under sharp political focus.

Earlier this week, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) directed Haryana and Punjab governments to mandate the use of paddy straw-based biomass pellets/briquettes in all brick kilns located in the districts beyond NCR, as one of the means towards elimination of the practice of open paddy-stubble burning. It envisions the elimination of open burning of crop residue, promoting clean and sustainable fuel alternatives in the industrial sector. To reduce vehicular pollution, CAQM ordered the adoption of cleaner modes of transport for all new vehicle inductions and imposed stricter regulations on institutional, commercial and incoming carriers.

One of the most worrying sources of waste is plastic. India generates an estimated 95 lakh tonnes of plastic waste annually. Single-use plastic (SUP) was banned in July 2022. However, given the large population, public campaigns - such as the ongoing 'End Plastic Pollution' initiative and the one in September-October 2019 - combined with showcasing eco-friendly alternatives, may achieve better compliance. Communication and advocacy have been extensively harnessed by SBM in fostering toilet-usage behaviour.

Besides municipal waste, various forms of highly toxic waste come from electronic, radioactive and biomedical discards. Sanitary waste from households needs separate attention. The key lies in the complete segregation of waste and scientific disposal.

Waste needs to be seen as a resource in a circular economy. Researchers have found a way to use non-recyclable plastic in bituminous roads. Individual initiatives to create resources from immediate waste are often celebrated on the PM's Mann Ki Baat broadcast.

Policymakers must facilitate better business opportunities, and startups and enterprises must pursue greater innovation and employ suitable technologies to extract value from waste and generate profit. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (RRR) must be a serious pursuit, especially regarding plastic.

Viksit Bharat of 2047 cannot be an unclean and polluted Bharat. New India deserves to be free of garbage.