The Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta today chaired the 8th meeting of State Level Apex Committee (SLAC) on Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) and reviewed the functioning of solid waste management system under the scheme.Administrative Secretaries of departments of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Housing & Urban Development, Jal Shakti, Planning, Development & Monitoring, besides, Commissioners, Municipal Corporations, Jammu/Srinagar along with Directors, Urban Local Bodies, Jammu/ Kashmir participated in the meeting.It was informed that under the Swachh Bharat Mission, efforts are being made towards scientific disposal of solid waste through scientific solid waste management, robust IEC activities for bringing about a behavioural change, and various capacity-building measures. Currently, 100% door-to-door collection of solid waste is being done in 984 wards with 100% source segregation is 178 wards.The Chief Secretary directed the Housing & Urban Development Department to ensure 100% door-to-door collection of solid waste across all towns and cities of Jammu and Kashmir by 2nd October 2021, besides, raising the number of towns with 100% source segregation.It was informed that as per the approved action plans for 76 ULBs and Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), the Department is undertaking decentralized solid waste management via dedicated source segregation, door-to-door collection, primary and secondary transportation, intermediate waste storage, scientific processing, and final disposal as per Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
Further, Municipal Committees of Pahalgam and Gulmarg have established processing plants with auto-composters and magnetic disintegrators to process bio-degradable and non-biodegradable wastes, respectively.Moreover, JMC is setting up a 350 TPD solid waste processing plant at Jammu in collaboration with National Agriculture Corporative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED). JMC has also established integrated solid waste management facility at Bandurakh with the capacity of 125 TPD for 26 municipal wards, besides, undertaking bio-remediation of 1,25,000 MTs of legacy waste from Bhagwati Nagar dumping site.Similarly, Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) is setting up a waste-to-energy plant with a capacity of 625 MTPD waste processing and 5MW energy generation at Achan, Srinagar.The Apex Committee approved the action plan of solid waste management for SMC for Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) facilities at an estimated cost of Rs. 529.75 crore over the next five years. The Committee also approved the revised solid waste management action plan worth Rs. 415.21 crore for JMC.The new concept of decentralized waste management is based on the scientific segregation of wet and dry waste at the household-level followed by door-to-door waste collection and transportation to waste management centres. The segregated waste is proposed to be appropriately disposed of and recycled on scientific lines with linkages for generating non-conventional renewable energy in the form of Compressed Natural Gas.