Underlining the importance of solid waste management for ensuring a clean urban India over the next two years, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry will reach out to all the Residential Welfare Associations (RWAs) in the national Capital to ensure segregation of municipal waste at the source of its generation. Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri participated in the Swacchata Hi Sewa campaign, wielding broom at the Sarojini Nagar market in New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area.
later, speaking to senior officials of his Ministry and NDMC, representatives of Market Association, general public and sanitation workers, he expressed serious concern over the garbage crisis in Delhi and said toilet construction which is much easier, but solid waste management is the real challenge to ensure a clean urban India by 2019.
“As against the target of building 66 lakh individual household toilets in urban areas, about 37 lakh units have already been built. With 56 percent of the mission target already met, this exercise is on it’s course. About 65 million tons of solid waste is generated per year in cities and towns in the country and this is the real challenge. Solid waste processing has reached about one quarter of the generation.
“Current efforts to ensure processing of total solid waste will be successful if only segregation of waste at source is ensured as this is necessary for the success of further chain of making compost and power from municipal waste. I would like to reach out to all RWAs in Delhi by writing to them in all the 11 districts to do needful to ensure such segregation. At present, only half of the waste generated in Delhi is being processed and this is a matter of concern”, the Minister said.
Puri said his Ministry has earlier this week approved a Rs 300 crore action plan for procuring modern equipment and systems for making a visible impact on solid waste management by which 670 tonne per day waste processing capacity would be created by the end of December this year.
The Minister noted that Swachch Bharat Mission is one of the foremost of transformative initiatives launched by the Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and this mission is more about behavioural modification. Stating that as early as in 1916, Mahatma Gandhi accorded priority for sanitation even over political freedom, the Minister noted that spirited efforts have been made by the Prime Minister to ensure Swachh Bharat.
The Minister went around the Sarojini Nagar Market area and noted that this market in the central area of national Capital needs immediate refurbishing for better access, presentation and services to meet the needs and competition in the context of redevelopment of Government colonies in the vicinity which is underway.
Union HUA secretary Durga Shanker Mishra, NDMC chairman Naresh Kumar, besides senior officials of the Ministry and NDMC, representation of Market Association and general public participated in shramdan along with the Minister.