Deadline coming, govt moves to clear 214 legacy landfills by Oct next year, Pg11.

Key Highlights:

• Housing and Urban Affairs Minister launched the Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme to clear 214 legacy landfills by September 2026.
• These 214 landfills contain 8.8 crore metric tonnes of garbage across 202 cities.
• The program aligns with Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, launched in 2021, aiming to remediate all legacy landfills.
• As of Saturday, 49% of legacy landfill area remained to be reclaimed and 41% of waste unremediated.
• The central government has approved ₹2,716 crore in financial assistance for remediation projects.

Detailed Insights:

• The Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme targets 214 sites that account for 80% of the waste in the 1,428 legacy landfills yet to be remediated.
• The program involves additional financial support, corporate and PSU involvement, use of inert waste in road construction, and adoption of dumpsites by leaders.
• The Urban Invest Window, a HUDCO project, will help local bodies raise private funds for urban development projects.
• The government estimates a need for ₹80 lakh crore in urban development investment, emphasizing the importance of private partnerships.
• Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 was launched to achieve complete remediation of legacy dumpsites and promote sustainable waste management practices.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Legacy Landfills: Old landfills exceeding their capacity, posing environmental and health hazards.
• Remediation: Actions taken to reverse or stop environmental damage.
• Inert Waste: Non-reactive and non-hazardous waste materials suitable for construction.