National Green Tribunal highlights gaps in Waste Management in Gujarat & Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Nov 4: The National Green Tribunal (NGT), while reviewing the state of waste management across India, raised significant concerns last month after examining progress reports submitted by Gujarat and Odisha.

The NGT bench, headed by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, evaluated the reports from both states on their compliance with the Supreme Court’s directives for solid waste management and the establishment of adequate sewage treatment plants (STPs).

Last year, the tribunal imposed environmental compensation (EC) fines on various states for deficiencies in waste management. Gujarat faced a penalty of Rs 2,100 crore, to be kept in a ring-fenced account specifically for addressing these gaps. Odisha, however, avoided a similar fine by committing Rs 1,138 crore to improve its waste management infrastructure.

In Gujarat, the tribunal observed that the gap in waste processing remains substantial due to inadequate processing facilities. "Waste generation in the state is estimated at 10,317 tonnes per day (TPD), with processing currently at 8,872 TPD, leaving a shortfall of 1,445 TPD," noted the bench, which also included Justice Sudhir Kumar Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel. The tribunal further highlighted that 1.24 lakh metric tons of legacy waste across seven urban local bodies (ULBs) in Gujarat is yet to be remediated.

The NGT report also identified a 531 million litres per day (MLD) shortfall in sewage management in Gujarat, underscoring the critical need for enhanced treatment facilities.