Waste Energy is A Priority Area: Scientific Advisor

Principal Scientific Advisor K Vijay Raghavan recently said that waste to energy and scaling up of commercially available technologies are top priorities of Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC).

Speaking at CII conference on PPP models for waste to worth, Raghavan said inputs including environment, social and economic aspects, outputs and waste to energy are the three key components of the waste sector.

He mentioned that tragedy of the commons is the fundamental challenge affecting waste sector and all stakeholders need to work together to implement solutions.

He further pointed out that PPP model requires clear documentation.

Raghavan stated that through science and technology, the mechanism is to take available technologies, implement them beyond pilot scale and work through PPP models.

He cited several successful examples of adoption of local and global technologies such as the 2G ethanol plant of the DBT-ICT center, Barapullah Drain project of DBT and NWO, the Netherlands Science Agency and Stubble Burning technology project with Sweden.

He advised that multiple cities should be taken and get scientific inputs, and best technologies to address the problems and get a proof of principle.

Tsukasa Akimoto, State Minister of the Environment, Government of Japan, said that during the visit of Shri Narendra Modi to Japan in October this year, both the countries agreed to strengthen the cooperation in environment field including waste management under the Japan- India Special Strategic and Global partnership.

Also, a Memorandum of Cooperation was jointly signed between the Environment Ministries of both the countries in the field of Environmental cooperation.

He emphasized that Japan would like to support the clean India initiative through Japanese technology- Johkasou.

He stated that installation of waste to energy technologies can help India to realize sanitary and comfortable lives and some of the top waste to energy plant manufacturers of Japan possessing advanced technologies and abundant experience are present here today and look forward to collaboration with Indian partners.

C K Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, stated that the three major players of the sector i.e. Government, Industry and Community need to devise the easiest and the best solutions for the waste management.

There is a need to understand the enormity of the problems associated with waste which extend beyond environmental and health hazards.

He further highlighted the efforts of government such as Swatch Bharat, Plastic rules and doing away with plastics by 2022.

He strongly mentioned that the problems need to be articulated jointly on a common platform with an articulation of a workable solution. One important thing that would make PPP models work is clarity, particularly clarity from the beginning.

He mentioned that rules/ acts must be seen as an enabler and are subject to changes if justifiably needed.