Established on the westernmost tip of India, Gujarat is one of the most celebrated states in the country. The fifth-largest state by area is well known for its culture and heritage.

Being one of the most developed states in the country, Gujarat has its challenges in the sector of legacy waste management. The State generates around 1.48 lakhs tonnes of waste collected from 79,000 urban municipal councils every day.

Waste management is a massive challenge for the country amid the pandemic. Urban India produces about 1.5 lakh Metric tonnes of municipal solid waste per day. Proper segregation of waste at the source and eliminating the awful construction of landfills across the cities is the key focus area under the goals of the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban 2.0. Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 1, 2021, the national mission aims to rejuvenate the urban landscapes furthering the vision of New India.

One of the critical components of the mission is ‘Lakshya Zero’ Dumpsite to remediate around 16 crores metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste dumpsites occupying over 14,000 acres of city land. The legacy waste not only disturbs the ecological balance of its surroundings but also deteriorates and muddles the overall aesthetics of the urban landscapes.

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban 2.0, a project costing ₹403.77 crores has been formulated for remediating legacy wastes from landfills in Gujarat.

To revive the prime land of Gujarat from hazardous landfills, MoHUA has approved the central share of ₹144.85 crores for legacy waste remediation. A total of 148 ULBs across the State have proposed the approval to reclaim over 806 acres of prime land dumped under 19 lakhs metric tonnes of waste. ULB-Rajkot is looking to remediate around 6 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste, while ULBs like Surendranagar-Wadhvan and Porbandar-Chhaya are trying to regain enormous land by the remediation of over 9 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste together. The two ULBs of Bhavnagar and Rajkot get the financial support for the formation of the C & D waste processing plant that will further the enhancement of the cities’ aesthetics.

The issues of legacy waste management are inescapable, considering this, the Union government has approved the proposal of around 600 cities for legacy waste remediation across States like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, etc.

The efforts put under the waste management sector are conspicuous and remarkable milestones have been achieved under the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban 2.0, prioritizing safety and sanitation for the betterment of the citizens.

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