Indore: India’s capacity to dispose solid waste in a scientific manner will be increased in the near future, Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri said. “Currently, 25 per cent of the solid waste is disposed in a scientific manner, while the rest 75 per cent is disposed in a traditional way,” Puri said, adding that according to an estimate, Indian cities generate 1.7 lakh tonnes of solid waste on a daily basis. Puri was speaking at the inaugural session of 8th Regional 3 R (reduce, recycle and reuse) Forum meet in Asia and the Pacific. He said the possibility of taking Japan’s assistance for the scientific disposal of solid waste will be considered.
“I know that in Tokyo, solid waste is disposed in a very systematic manner. I will encourage my ministry officials to explore the possibilities of taking the help of Japanese government or private companies there for the disposal of solid waste,” Puri said. He expressed confidence that India would be in a position to completely dispose solid waste in a scientific manner in the years to come. The minister praised the residents of Indore for making it the cleanest city in India as per the ‘Swachh Sarvekshan- 2017’.
“New York is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. But if I have to name some of the cleanest cities in terms of public participation, I won’t choose New York as people of that city are too busy,” Puri said. According to him, the results of Swachh Bharat Sarvekshan – 2018 would be out in a month or so. For the Swachh Bharat contest, 73 and 434 cities were chosen in 2016 and 2017 respectively. But this time, 4,000 cities are a part of it, Puri said. The minister said that in order to achieve the goal of cleanliness, change in people’s behaviour and construction of toilets were necessary.
He said India will lay emphasis on turning solid waste into manure and for generation of bio-gas. “India is aware of the challenges in achieving cleanliness. The country would play a significant role in achieving sustainable development goals (SDG),” he said.