MoHUA signs MoU to develop Waste to Wealth plants in million plus cities (GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- As part of furthering the ‘Green Growth’ agenda, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Engineers India Limited to develop Waste to Energy and bio-methanation projects in cities with a population of million plus.
‘Green Growth’ agenda:
- Recently, the Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, presented the Budget 2023-2024 listing the seven priorities or the ‘Saptarishi’ guiding through the Amrit Kaal.
- In the ‘Green Growth’ segment, 500 new Waste to Wealth plants will be established under the GOBARdhan scheme for promoting circular economy.
- These will include 200 compressed biogas plants, 75 in urban areas, 300 community or cluster-based plants, at a total investment of Rs 10,000 Cr.
Details:
- The thrust on sustainable solid waste management has been strengthened under the ambit of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, with the overall vision of creating garbage-free cities.
- Focusing on this objective, MoHUA has decided to set up large-scale solid waste processing facilities in million plus cities.
- There are 59 million plus cities in India like Lucknow, Kanpur, Bareilly, Nasik, Thane, Nagpur, Gwalior, Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore to name a few.
- For management of organic/wet fraction of municipal solid waste bio-methanation plants have been Background
GOBARdhan plant in Indore:
- In February 2022, Prime Minister, inaugurated Asia’s biggest municipal solid waste based GOBARdhan plant in Indore aiming to generate 19,000 kg bio-CNG gas.
- Under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, the bio-methanation plants linked to the GOBARdhan and SATAT schemes will produce Bio-CNG as a renewable energy.
Significance of waste to energy:
- Waste to Energy plants use dry waste fraction of municipal solid waste and produce renewable power with maximum reduction of waste volume utilizing least space in execution in compliance with SWM Rules 2016 and fulfill all the statutory norms of environment protection.
- Waste to Energy and bio-methanation projects will integrate the concept of circularity in waste management by producing green energy from dry and wet waste component of municipal solid waste.
- The by-product such as electricity and Bio-CNG will also help in achieving sustainability of waste management operations.
Highlights of the MoU:
- EIL will assist and handhold the million plus cities in developing such projects for larger quantum of waste integrating circularity in waste management.
- In the first phase, 25 million plus cities will be selected for developing large-scale process plants. The success of these projects will be pivotal as it will be conceptualized and executed as bench-marking for such projects.
- Thus, collaboration for providing support in preliminary technical assessment and Transaction Advisory services from EIL will have significant impact.
- EIL will also handhold ULBs in carrying out monitoring process of these PPP projects during the construction phase and will assist in obtaining statutory approvals.
Way Forward:
- The initiative will result in additional processing capacity of 15,000 TPD for Bio-Methanation and 10,000 TPD for Waste to Energy respectively.
Water Vision@2047- Suggestion for Addressing Water Security Challenges
(GS Paper 3, environment)
Why in news?
- Water is intrinsic not only to life but also to economic growth and development. Recently, the State Ministers' Conference with the theme 'Water Vision@2047' was organized at Bhopal in this context.
Objective:
- The primary objective of the Conference was to deliberate on Water Vision@2047 with the States.
- 33 States/Union Territories participated in the Conference, including Ministers from 25 States/UTs.
Action Plan and Key Recommendations of first All India Annual State Ministers’ Conference on Water Vision @2047:
- Need for a more comprehensive and integrated Water Vision@2047, including adaption and mitigation strategies with timeline, addressing both demand and supply side needs.
- Need for a Task Force on Water Vision@2047 to work out a complete strategy for implementation of the recommendations of the Conference, clearly outlining the role of Central Government and State Governments with deliverables and timelines to achieve the outcomes of a water secure future.
- To minimize loss of water in the water conveyance system, building of piped distribution network may be encouraged.
- Micro irrigation may be promoted in an accelerated manner to utilize the estimated potential of about 70 million hectares fully.
- Use of technology including IoT in irrigation may be promoted to optimize water uses on one hand, and improve productivity on the other.
- People’s participation or jan bhagidari is key to sustainability of initiatives in the water sector. Formation of Water Users Association in Command Area, their effective functioning and linking them to Farmers’ Producer Organisations (FPOs) is important to reduce the IPC-IPU gap estimated to be about 20%. Village water and sanitation committees to be actively engaged in operation & maintenance of rural drinking water schemes.
- A single regulating body is required at the State level, for groundwater as well as surface water, including water pricing and reuse of waste water to regulate the water sector in a holistic manner.
- Mapping of health of drinking water sources and measures to restore health of degraded sources (both quality and sustainability) through convergence of resources need to be undertaken. Springshed management in hill areas may be promoted in a focused manner for this purpose.
- Use of geo-sensing, geo-mapping, remote sensing and 3-D modeling may be promoted for better assessment and planning of water resources.
- Circular economy in water sector may be promoted by treating all waste water generated in urban areas and re-using such treated used water progressively. In rural areas also, grey water should be reused / used to recharge groundwater.
- Water budgeting and management (both supply and demand sides) at gram panchayat and village as well as town/city level may be taken up universally with people’s participation and leadership of rural and urban local bodies.
Water efficiency:
- Water storage capacity may be enhanced, both at large scale and small scale, to manage existing and future demand and build climate resilience.
- Effective management of sedimentation in reservoirs, rivers and other water bodies through suitable means may be encouraged.
- Potable water for drinking should have priority over all other uses of water. Areas and regions vulnerable to shortage of drinking water should be mapped and connected to the water grid suitably.
- Inter-basin transfer of water from flood prone areas should be encouraged.
- Agriculture uses 80-90% of water; therefore appropriate cropping patterns, crop varieties, efficient water utilization may be promoted with ‘whole of Government’ approach.
- Industry may be encouraged to become water efficient and adopt zero liquid discharge (ZLD).
Water quality:
- Assessment of water quality should be taken up regularly at appropriate intervals for groundwater as well as of different stretches of rivers. Quality of drinking water must be stringently monitored including at household level.
- Effective action needs to be taken to restore water quality in affected areas, or stretches. Natural farming may be encouraged near river bank to avoid pollution by chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Holistic management:
- River health needs to be managed holistically with the help of the catchment from surrounding wetlands. Appropriate e-flow should be provided for.
- Robustness of irrigation infrastructure may be ensured by allocating adequate resources for its operation and maintenance.
- Safety inspection of dams and their proper upkeep may be ensured as mandated.
- Initiatives such as Jal Shakti Abhiyan as well as initiatives taken by State Governments may be embedded in the administrative procedure for their timely execution in a sustained manner.
- Flood plain zoning may be taken up in all vulnerable areas for taking appropriate mitigating, early warning and regulatory measures.
