A Letter of Understanding (LoU) was signed on Tuesday here among the State Housing and Urban Development Department, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, UNICEF and Centre for Policy Research (CPR) for urban-rural convergence on facial sludge and septage management (FSM) and plastic waste management (PWM). The initiative aims to strengthen the efforts of both the Government departments to ensure district-wide sanitation through urban-rural convergence for FSM and PWM services in seven districts in the first phase.The initiative is being launched in the districts of Angul, Baleswar,
Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Khurda, Mayurbhanj and Sambalpur and later it would scale up to all other districts. Panchyati Raj and Housing Urban Development Minister Pratap Jena said the intervention is a step towards fulfilling Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s vision of building “Swachh Odisha and Sustha Odisha”. Further, gram panchayats will now be tagged to urban facilities like Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTPs) and Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) for effective faecal sludge and plastic waste management. This
initiative will strengthen both Panchayatiraj Institutions (PRIs) and ULBs to ensure prevention of river and ground water pollution and environmental protection through a district wide sanitation approach, the Minister informed.The State Government has already operationalised 58 FSTPs and by March 2022, all the 114 ULBs will be covered with 118 functional plants. Furthermore, Wealth Centres (WCs) have been established in each ULB comprising both Micro Compost Centres (MCCs) and Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) for management of solid waste including plastic waste. At present, 167 MRFs are functioning in the State through Mission Shakti SHGs, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra said.