Garbage or gold? Punjab’s opportunity in its own waste
PCS Perspective: How the ‘Land of Five Rivers’ can turn its trash into tomorrow’s treasure
Chandigarh, Updated At : 05:00 AM Dec 22, 2025 IST
Punjab has always known how to feed the nation. Its fields pulse with wheat and rice, its canals carry lifelines and its farmers push boundaries of productivity. Yet the state finds itself caught in an uncomfortable paradox: while it nourishes millions, it is choking on its own waste. Garbage here doesn’t vanish, it merely relocates, often to the edges of towns, the banks of drains or the fields that once symbolised abundance. For students preparing for Punjab’s state examinations, the story of the state’s waste crisis is not merely academic, it is a real, evolving public challenge that demands understanding, urgency and imagination.
