New Delhi, Aug 23 (Inditop.com) Delhi is the highest municipal solid waste producer in the country followed by Mumbai, according to a survey by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Delhi produces 6,800 tonnes of solid waste a day, while Mumbai generates 6,500 tonnes, the FICCI survey said.
The survey on solid waste management, carried out in 22 cities, said 14 cities just dump 75 percent of their solid waste, which is as high as 15,785 tonnes a day.
This indicates the lack of adequate treatment and disposal facilities, FICCI said.
Large metros like Delhi and Mumbai too lack scientific treatment facilities and therefore resort to dumping of waste. Mumbai sends 100 percent of its waste to dump sites, while Delhi dumps 94 percent, it added.
“In cities like Delhi, Faridabad, Greater Mumbai, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Pune and Surat, which are at the higher end of the waste generation spectrum, more than 80 percent of the waste is disposed off in landfills,” it said.
FICCI further noted that some cities did not even have designated dump sites, which results in the waste lying open in the outskirts of the city centre.
The survey also brought to light the immense potential that the cities have for setting up landfill gas energy projects.
Landfill gas is the natural by-product of the decomposition of solid waste in landfills and is comprised primarily of carbon dioxide and methane.
Cities like Delhi, Greater Mumbai, Jaipur, Lucknow, Pune, Surat and Ahmedabad, which supply over 80 percent of their waste to dump sites, have high potential for landfill gas-based energy projects.
However, only five cities have done feasibility tests in this regard, FICCI said.
Greater Mumbai is the only city that has initiated a landfill gas energy project. Delhi, Ahmedabad, Surat and Jamshedpur have conducted feasibility studies.
