‘Lakshya Zero Dumpsite’: Government of India Approves ₹433.74 Crores Legacy Waste Remediation in Maharashtra

The way issues of cleanliness and sanitation have been addressed in the Pan-India initiative of the Swachh Bharat Mission, has been widely acclaimed. After its launch on October 2021 by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban 2.0 has brought a paradigm shift in terms of changing behaviors.

To deal with the legacy of dross and dregs which resulted in garbage hills, built up at dumpsites, 'Lakshya Zero Dumpsite' is one of the aims, SBM-U 2.0 eyes to achieve within the mission period. The remediation of legacy waste will take the country closer to the mission's dream of being garbage-free, further the vision of resource recovery and principles of the circular economy.

Garbage Dumpsites have become a massive problem for most urban cities, Maharashtra's Greater Mumbai holds the maximum amount of legacy waste in the state. It aims to remediate 2.6 crore MT of legacy waste to transform its urban landscape by reclaiming approximately 355 acres of valuable land. Thane Municipal Corporation is all set to remediate 8.3 lakh MT of waste lying in the city's dumpsite while Mira-Bhayandar plans to remediate approximately 9 lakh MT of the legacy waste, reclaiming acres of prime land for optimum utilization. However, to deal with the issues of legacy wastes, 28 ULBs of Maharashtra have submitted action plans to the central government for the remediation of dumpsites.

To support Maharashtra in effectively managing Solid Waste Management, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has approved ₹433.72 crores for 28 ULBs to remediate over 3.7 crores MT of waste. With the variety of ULBs having diverse and dense populations, the project will ensure the ecological balance in approx. 1532 acres of land.

States and cities across the country have recognized the rising need for eliminating hazardous legacy dumpsites. Strengthening the vision of Garbage Free Cities, various cities have come forward seeking help from the central government. Taking this into consideration, the Union government has approved the proposal of nearly 500 cities for legacy waste remediation across States like Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Rajasthan, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Delhi etc.

The remediation of the legacy waste will facilitate the treasure of the area which is currently buried under decades-old waste. Swachh Bharat Mission is constantly working on designing sustainable waste management systems to ensure scientific waste processing of 'Garbage Free Cities' and circular economy from waste.