C&D waste in Delhi highest in 35 cities: Report

According to the report, the C&D waste the Capital generates was more than four times the estimated quantity

Delhi generates around 3,711 tonne per day (TPD) of construction and demolition (C&D) waste — the highest among the 35 non-attainment cities that have disclosed their data on the Central Pollution Control Board’s Portal for Regulation of Air-pollution in Non-Attainment cities (PRANA) — a new report released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said on Monday.

Ludhiana, India - July 19, 2021 : A view of dumped construction and demolition waste in green belts at Model town area opposite cremation ground in Ludhiana on Monday, July 19,2021. (Photo by Gurpreet Singh/Hindustan Times)

According to the report, the C&D waste the Capital generates was more than four times the estimated quantity of 817.49 TPD. The report, titled “Construction and demolition waste – closing the waste loop for sustainability” said the remaining 96 cities have not shared the data, which is part of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to improve local air quality.

The Capital’s number was followed by Ahmedabad at 1,000 TPD, and Faridabad and Noida at 300 TPD each. The report also pointed to flaws in calculating C&D waste under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) 2.0. “It is quite possible that the SBM thumb rule is resulting in underestimation of C&D waste. This requires further evaluation. The top generators — according to the SBM 2.0 estimations – are Mumbai (919.75 TPD), Delhi (817.49 TPD), Kolkata (702 TPD) and Bengaluru (426.02 TPD). This is a gross underestimation compared to what has been reported by the cities,” the report said.

“The data from micro-action plans in PRANA shows that only 35 cities (26% of the 131 non-attainment cities that have uploaded their plans) have provided statistics on C&D waste generation. Together, these cities have generated 6,563.48 TPD. Delhi has reported the highest generation in the country, with 3,448 TPD,” it added.

The study said that cities under it are expected to apply a thumb rule of 50 grams per capita per day to estimate their C&D waste generation as part of the city solid waste action plan. This means the 35 cities’ estimated waste production was 3,052 TPD — less than half of the actual 6,663 TPD it produced.

Experts said that the goal should be that all C&D waste ends up at processing plants. “We have found that based on the SBM 2.0 estimates, cities are not planning for the actual waste being generated, but much lower, which can defeat the purpose of managing C&D waste effectively,” said Mitashi Singh, programme manager, Sustainable Habitat Programme at CSE.