Draft national guidelines for management of solid waste has been crafted out by the CII Task Force, Amit Gossain, Chairman of the Task Force, has confirmed.

Authorities responsible for managing solid waste are facing a big problem in managing the waste without causing harm to the environment. According to Gossain, who is also executive vice-president of construction equipment giant JCB India, nearly 115,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste is being generated every day.

The Draft National Guidelines for Sold Waste Management outlines how to tackle escalating piles of waste in urban as well as rural parts of the country.

Speaking about the draft guidelines, Gossain added, “Now, this is aimed at making it a national initiative. This will then be presented to the Union Urban Development Ministry. After seeking views and incorporating them, the final policy will be announced.”

While India’s urban population is growing at an annual rate of 3 per cent to 3.5 per cent, solid waste generation is growing up by nearly 5 per cent. Citis like Delhi and Mumbai are generating more than 5,000-5,500 tonnes of waste per day.

The national task force on management of solid waste was formed in 2008. At the outset, only one set of guidelines, which aimed at making states and civic bodies central to waste management, was released.