Indian Scenario on Sanitation

Over 377 million urban people live in 7,935 towns and cities and generate 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste per annum. Only 43 million tonnes (MT) of the waste is collected, 11.9 MT is treated and 31 MT is dumped in landfill sites. Thus, Sanitation & Waste Management becomes one amongst the most neglected basic essential services required to keep urban centres clean.

Recent Developments

ASSOCHAM-NEC Report 2018

Recently, ASSOCHAM-NEC technologies jointly released a report on 05th June, 2018 named “Electricals & Electronics Manufacturing in India” which has revealed that India recycles only 5% of its e-waste and the rest is dismantled by the unorganized sector and scrap dealers.

Key Highlights:

  • India generates around 2 million tonnes per annum (TPA) of E-waste of which 12% constitutes of telecom apparatuses.
  • Apart from India, the top e-waste generator countries are China, US, Japan and Germany, as per the report.
  • Among Indian states, largest quantity of E-waste is generated by Maharashtra (19.8%), followed by Tamil Nadu (13%), Uttar Pradesh (10.1%), Karnataka (8.9%), Gujarat (8.8%) and Madhya Pradesh (7.6%).
  • Out of the 2 million tonnes per annum (TPA) e-waste generated, only 438,085 tonnes per annum (TPA) is recycled.
  • The low amount of recycling is due to the lack of infrastructure, absence of strong legislative framework, etc.

Global E-waste Monitor 2017

The Global E-Waste Monitor 2017, was released by ITU (International Telecommunication Union), the UN University (UNU) and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), which highlightedthe increasing levels of e-waste and its improper and unsafe treatment and disposal through burning or at dumpsites.

  • India is ranked 5th in the world among top e-waste producing countries-USA, China, Japan and Germany.
  • India generated nearly 2 million tonnes of electronic waste last year, of the 44.7 million tonnes produced globally.
  • Severe health risks and environmental damage are widespread in India due to very low literacy levels of the country’s over one million people involved in manual e-waste recycling operations.

Bio-Medical Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2018

Recently, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF& CC) released new amendments to the Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016.

Key Highlights:

  • Major Bio-medical waste generators such as hospitals, clinics, vaccination camps etc. will now be required to phase-out the use of chlorinated plastic bags and gloves by March, 2019.
  • Common biomedical waste treatment facility (CBMWTF) shall be establishedwith GPS and Bar coding facility,as per guidelines of the CPCB.
  • The new rule specifies for “pre-treatment of Bio-medical waste”; where every occupier of health care facility needs to pre-treat the laboratory waste, microbiological waste etc. on-site,as per guidelines on safe management of wastes from health care activities by WHO and WHO Blue Book 2014 and then send it to CBMWTF for final disposal.
  • All healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics, etc. should provide annual report on its official website within two years of the publication of the amended rules.

Plastic Waste (Amendment) Rules 2018

Recently, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF& CC) released new amendments to the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.

Key Highlights:

  • A New Central registration system shall be established by CPCB for the registration of the producer/importer/brand owner.
  • The new rules provides that any mechanism for the registration should be “automated” and should take into account ease of doing business for producers, recyclers and manufacturers
  • The earlier rule for providing the plastic waste management fee, by the vendors/shopkeepers who are willing to provide plastic bags, has been removed in the new amended rule.
  • The 2016 Rules state that the manufacture and use of “non-recyclable multi-layered plastic” should be phased out in two years.
  • As per the new rules, non-recyclable multi-layered plastic has been replaced with “multi-layered plastic” which is non-recyclable or with no alternate use.

E-Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2018

Recently, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF& CC) released new amendments to the E-Waste Management Rules, 2016.

Key Highlights:

  • The new amendment aims to formalize the e-waste recycling sector by channelizing the E-waste generated towards approved dismantlers and recyclers.
  • “Phase-wise collection” targets for e-waste has been inducted through new rules, which shall be 10% of the quantity of waste generation as indicated in the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Plan during 2017-18, with a 10% increase every year until 2023.
  • After 2023 onwards, the target has been made 70% of the quantity of waste generation as indicated in the EPR Plan.
  • A distinct e-waste collection targets have been drafted for “new producers”, i.e., those producers whose number of years of sales operation is less than the average lives of their products.
  • Under new rules, cost for sampling and testing shall be borne by the government for conducting the Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) test and if the product does not comply with RoHS provisions the cost will be borne by the Producers.
  • Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) shall apply to the CPCB for registration to undertake activities prescribed in the Rules.

Swachh Survekshan Survey 2018

  • The 3rd Swachh Survekshan Survey, 2018 was conducted by the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to encourage cities to improve urban sanitization.
  • Swachh Survekshan is an extensive sanitation survey to check the progress and impact of the government’s flagship programme Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. This survey also aims to foster a spirit of competition amongst the cities.
  • As per the Swachh Survekshan 2018 Results: the top-three cities are Indore, Bhopal, Chandigarh; the Best-performing states are Jharkhand, Maharashtra; and the Best Cantonment Boards are Delhi Cantt, Almora Cantt, Ranikhet Cantt.

Indian Scenario on Sanitation

Until 2014, 600 million people (approximately 60 per cent of the world’s open defecators) were practicing open defecation across the country. Of these, 550 million were in rural India. This situation changed quite dramatically in recent times. The open defecation number has dwindled to 100 million. As many as 5,20,000 villages, 530 Districts and 25 States and Union Territories are Open Defecation Free (ODF). Rural India is poised to become open defecation free by October 2, 2019.

What led to the change?

  • The Swachh Bharat scheme had the desired political support wherethe scheme was driven by the Prime Minister himself. Aligned with this was the belief in the achievability of the goal at each level of governance and delivery. The PM-CM-DM-VM (Prime Minister-Chief Minister-District Magistrate-Village Motivator) model worked.
  • Organising workshops at the national and regional levels helped the field level functionaries to understand the nuances of implementing such a scheme where behavioural change was the key to success.
  • The District Magistrates were incentivized through interactions in Delhi and other capacity building workshops.
  • “Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018” was constituted to provide healthy competition amongst the Districts. This yielded significant increase in momentum on the ground.
  • An effective communication strategy was evolved to bring about behavioural change at the ground level. This was supplemented with mass media at the national level. Well known personalities were roped in to convey messages that had the desired impact in the context of usage of toilets and twin pit toilets.
  • The SBM foot soldiers and “Swachhagrahis” participated in triggering community behaviour change and sustaining it through inter-personal communication.

Achievements in Reports

  • A WHO study released in August 2018 reported that Swachh Bharat would have led to a saving of around 3,00,000 lives by 2019 and around 1,50,000 lives would be saved annually thereafter.
  • UNICEF in its report, “The Financial and Economic Impact of SBM in India (2017)” has estimated that an ODF village in rural India makes substantial savings every year.
  • The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has released a study that shows significant improvements in diarrhea prevalence and stunting among children in ODF districts, compared to otherwise similar non-ODF districts.

Solid Waste

Solid waste is the unwanted or useless solid materials generated from human activities in residential, industrial or commercial areas.

Types of Solid Waste

  1. Municipal Solid Waste: It consists of household waste, construction and demolition debris (CnD), sanitation residue, and waste from streets, generated mainly from residential and commercial complexes.
  2. Industrial Solid Waste: It is often termed as hazardous waste as they may contain toxic substances, are corrosive, highly inflammable, or react when exposed to certain things e.g. gases.
  3. Biomedical waste: It is usually infectious waste that may include waste like sharps, disposables, anatomical waste, cultures, discarded medicines, chemical wastes, etc., usually in the form of disposable syringes, swabs, bandages, body fluids, human excreta, etc.

Indian Scenario on Waste Generation

India generates roughly 62 million tons of garbage a year. Out of this staggering figure, approximately 43 million tons are collected annually: 11.9 million tons of collected waste are treated and the remaining 31 million tons disposed off in landfills.

Indian Scenario in Solid
Waste Management (SWM)

As per PIB 2016, In India less than 60% of waste is collected from households and only 15% of urban India’s waste is processed in a country 12 times as dense as that of the United States.

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