Only 66% municipal solid waste processed in Punjab

Rajmeet Singh

Chandigarh, July 28

Only 66 per cent of the municipal solid waste generated across the state was being processed by the 166 urban local bodies (ULBs). Of over 4,000 tonnes of solid waste being generated every day, only 2,647 tonnes was being processed.

The lowest solid waste processing has been recorded at Goraya (11 per cent), Badhmi Kalan, (22 per cent), Adda Devigarh (13.46 per cent) and Sunam (23.33 per cent). Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala generate maximum amount of solid waste and process 43.65 per cent, 59 per cent, 45 per cent and 61.78 per cent, respectively.

In the latest information submitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Local Government Department has stated that the daily waste processing across the state has increased from 51 per cent to 66 per cent in one year.

The department has stated that of the 166 ULBs, 139 had adequate capacity to process 100 per cent of the solid waste. Of the remaining 27 ULBs, 23 have fixed the target to bridge the gap by December 2024 and another four ULBs — Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala — plan to bridge the gap by December 2025.

Similarly, the state was treating 1,905.85 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage waste in 94 towns, out of the total 2,219.91 litres MLD generated. The department claimed that it was able to reduce the gap between generation and treatment by 12.52 MLD from September 2023 till June 2024 by completing six sewage treatment plants at Adampur, Balachaur, Dirba, Goraya, Gardiwala, and Rawal. To bridge the gap of the remaining 314 MLD of sewage waste, the department in its action plan has planned to cover 72 towns by December 2026.