Construction and demolition waste is piling up across India. Regulations are in place, but recycling is yet to gain momentum.AVIKAL SOMVANSHI breaks down the cartouche of waste mismanagement
“I have engaged a transporter to remove debris,” says Anil Kumar, supervisor of a redevelopment project at Kailash Colony in south Delhi. “I have no idea what the transporter will do with it. It’s not my concern,” he shrugs. The transporter refused to divulge where he would dump the waste. But it is an open secret that it will end up in the Aravallis at the Delhi-Faridabad border. Kumar, perhaps, does not know about the C&D Waste Management Rules, notified on March 29, 2016, which clearly make all the stakeholders responsible for waste disposal, be it a small-scale generator, the municipal body or the government. It makes debris recycling mandatory and illegalizes dumping waste outside the designated sites.
Recycling plants turn debris to usable sand and gravel. The Bureau of Indian Standards recognizes these as a good substitute to natural sand in the concrete mix. “Waste recycling is good business and incurs reasonable returns,” says Rajesh K, owner of Rock Crystal, a Bengaluru-based private C&D waste recycling facility. He managed to turn organized recycling into a profitable business without any government subsidy. This is unheard of in other waste recycling streams.
This story is from the June 16, 2019 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 16, 2019 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
In leading role again
MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE
