Himachal tops in processing municipal solid waste across the country

CHANDIGARH:Himachal Pradesh, a tough terrain state, has shown the way, this time in processing municipal solid waste, leaving others, including its big cousin-states, straddling way behind including Chandigarh. In what amounts to a pat on the back of the state government, the state has achieved top position in solid waste processing through scientific methods along with Goa across the country.
According to the Ministry of Urban Affairs, Himachal Pradesh and Goa have recorded highest amount of (98 per cent) of municipal solid waste while Chandigarh is processing 92 per cent compared to Punjab 76 per cent. Haryana is processing municipal solid waste 53 per
cent which is lower than the national processing of 68 per cent.
According to official records, Himachal generates 377 metric tonnes per day (MT/D) of municipal waste, Goa 250 MT/D and Haryana 5,463 MT/D. In case of Chandigarh, of the total 499 MT/D produced municipal waste, Chandigarh is processing 460 MT/D solid waste
compared to Punjab 4,108 MT/D of its waste.
According to the ministry of urban affairs, all 4,372 urban local bodies in the country are practising scientific disposal of municipal solid waste as per Municipal Solid Waste Rule, 2016. Out of the total 1,40,980 tonnes per day (TPD) of municipal waste is generated across
the country and only 96,259 (68 per cent) TPD is processed through a scientific manner.
There are 8883 municipal wards in the country and 97 per cent wards are using door- to-door collection of waste and 81 per cent are practicing in 100 per cent source segregationof waste. Other methods for waste disposal are being adopted such as production of compost
and generation of electricity from waste, biomethanization, material recovery and recycling of construction and demolition waste.
Under the Swachh Bharat Mission Scheme 35 per cent of the total approved cost of solid waste management projects as central assistance has been released and in turn transferred this assistance to respective ULBs by the respective states and Uts.
Under the Swachhta Udyami Yojana of National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation, the government also has a provision of providing concessional loans with capital subsidy up to Rs 5 lakh to safai karamcharis, manual scavengers and their dependents for procurement of sanitation related instruments or vehicles for mechanised cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.