Telangana: Zero Dumpsite Project To Do Away With Legacy Waste In Urban Areas

Supporting zero dumpsite initiative to do away with legacy waste and rejuvenate urban landscape, the Union government has approved Rs 178.6 crore Legacy Waste Remediation Proposal of Telangana.

Named ‘Lakshya Zero Dumpsite’, Telangana is eyeing remediation of 32.5 lakh million tonnes of legacy waste and reclaiming over 842 acres of land across the state besides complete remediation of 45 urban local bodies by December 2022.

There is a rising need to ensure environmental sustainability with the hyper-competitive future. India understands the future needs and is rapidly working on its policies to deal with the challenges of legacy waste management.

Under the vision of Swachh Bharat Mission, India has pledged to achieve 'Lakshya Zero Dumpsites' within the mission period. The remediation of legacy waste will facilitate the recovery of valuable land across the country, and this will also take the nation closer to achieving its dream of 'garbage-free cities', which will further provide a healthier future to the residents.

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has approved the proposal of legacy waste dumpsite remediation in Telangana, which aims for remediation of a total of 32.5 lakh MT of legacy waste and reclaiming over 842 acres of land across the state for its optimum utilisation. The total project approval is worth Rs 178.6 crore.

Approximately, 16 crore MT of legacy waste has covered around 15,000 acres of prime land across the nation. Thus the mission 'Lakshya Zero Dumpsites’ is the need of the hour, which furthers the vision of rejuvenating the urban landscapes.

In a landmark initiative, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 on 1 October 2021. Under the mission, the government aims to revamp the urban ecosystem for the betterment of the citizens. With sheer focus and commitment to serve, the world's biggest cleanliness drive is marching towards sustainable urbanization.

Telangana has been dealing with the challenges of dumpsites, requiring immediate remediation of legacy waste from the cities. To deal with the municipal solid waste generated in urban local bodies (ULBs) across Telangana, 123 ULBs have proposed remediation of legacy waste dumpsites.

Moreover, to convert the legacy waste for further use, a programme of bio-mining is being taken up in 123 municipalities in the state. RFP has been issued for the selection of an agency for remediation and reclamation of existing dumpsite through bio mining for 123 ULBs. In addition to this, agencies have been selected for all nine clusters as per the Swachh Bharat Mission norms. Telangana is eyeing the complete remediation of 45 ULBS by December 2022.

Nizamabad Municipal Corporation plans to remediate 4.6 lakh MT of legacy waste to reclaim 51 acres of land. ULBs like Warangal, Khammam, and Karimnagar are planning to remediate