LEGACY DUMPSITES | IAS GYAN

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According to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry’s Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) dashboard, 5 states account for more than half of the 1,080 “legacy landfill sites” for which authorities are yet to propose remediation plans under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0.
- “Legacy” dump sites are the old waste at landfill sites that have remained dumped for more than three months.
Of 1,080 sites for which remediation was yet to be proposed, 591 were in five states:
- Karnataka (136)
- Rajasthan (128)
- Andhra Pradesh (115
- Madhya Pradesh (111)
- Telangana (101)
In Delhi, about 84% of the 2.80 crore tonnes of legacy waste is yet to be remediated.
Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 has the target of creating “garbage-free cities” and 100% remediation of all legacy landfills by 2026.
- Under the mission, municipalities are required to submit action plans for the bio-remediation of legacy landfills.
- Depending on the composition of the waste, it will be divided into refused derived fuel (RDF) for waste-to-energy plants, construction and demolition (C&D) waste for recycling and bio-soil that can be used to fill gaps in road construction.
- After clearing the dump sites, municipalities are required to firm up plans for alternative use of the land.

Swachh Bharat Mission

Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) is a country-wide campaign initiated by the Government of India in 2014 to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management.
It is a restructured version of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan launched in 2009.
Phase 1 of the Swachh Bharat Mission lasted till October 2019.
Phase 2 is being implemented between 2020–21 and 2024–25.
The mission aimed to achieve an "open-defecation-free" (ODF) India by 2 October 2019, the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi through the construction of toilets.
The objectives of the first phase of the mission:
- Eradication of manual scavenging.
- Generating awareness and bringing about behaviour change regarding sanitation practices.
- Building capacity at the local level.
The second phase of the mission aims to sustain the open defecation-free status and improve the management of solid and liquid waste, while also working to improve the lives of sanitation workers.
Under the scheme, the Government provides subsidies for constructing toilets, waste management structures, and awareness campaigns to bring behavior change.
The campaign is financed by the Government of India and state governments.
The mission is split into two: Rural and Urban.
- In rural areas "SBM - Gramin" is financed and monitored through the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
- In Urban areas "SBM - urban" is overseen by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Landfill Sites

Land filling is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal. A landfill site is a site for the disposal of waste materials.
Waste Management System includes Collection, Segregation, Transportation, Processing and Disposal of waste.
Waste is classified into Several Categories based on Source and type of waste. These include;
- Domestic waste
- Municipal waste
- Commercial waste
- Institutional waste
- Construction and Demolition waste
- Hazardous waste and Sewage waste

Concerns

Absence of Segregation of waste at source.
Landfill often Catches fire due to the release of Methane by Waste.
Due to a lack of proper treatment facilities, by-products released during decomposition seep into Groundwater and pollute it.
It is unfair to Citizens of that area to export the City’s garbage to their locality.
Asthma, Tuberculosis, and Skin diseases are Some Common Health Problems among the rag Pickers
Dumping is done in landfills without following scientific methods of disposal.
Improper waste management causes environmental hazards like climate change, pollution, and the spread of odours and diseases.
Affect human and animal health and result in economic, environmental and biological losses.
Lack of funds for local bodies.
Lack of technical expertise.

Steps need to be taken

Garbage needs to be Reduced, Reused, and Recycled.
Improvements in Waste Segregation, Collection and Transportation.
Maximum recycling and Treatment of waste must be done at the local level.
Involve informal Sector/waste pickers and Citizen groups to Collect and Segregated waste, under a door-to-door Collection System.
Reduces the quantity of waste and recovers Products of economic value.
Decentralized waste treatment options Such as Composting units, biogas Plants, waste to-energy Plants.
Promote the Concept of Zero Waste to minimize the use of resources and maximize benefits.
Prepare an integrated Solid waste management Plan for the Whole City.
Educate Citizens about waste Segregation and make them active Stakeholders in waste management.
Reaching out to School Students to generate awareness about Sustainable waste management
Strengthening municipal governance, improving waste management and developing regulations within Urban Local Bodies for improving waste segregation.
Promote the Principle of 5R: Reduce, Reuse, Recover, Recycle, Re-manufacture.
Set up regional sanitary landfill to reduce land requirements.
Create an Adequate Funding Mechanism to Implement waste Regulations.
Capacity-building of local Bodies.
Development and setting up of infrastructure for Segregation, Collection, Storage, and transportation of waste.
Regular monitoring for ensuring the safety and health of workers involved in dismantling and recycling.
Creating Green Belt around Landfill Sites.