Waste segregation and digitisation at the centre of new India

Urban Update and All India Institute of Local Self Government (AIILSG), in association with United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), and 3R aste Foundation organised 22nd edition of E-Dialogues on the topic, “Digitisation in Waste Management” on February 12.

Dr Kulwant Singh, moderator of the session,  started by mentioning how the third decade of the 21st century has a larger focus on digitalisation in all sectors of the economy and human activities,  and that the COVID-19 pandemic really reflected on the ultimate usage of digital technology. He mentioned the launch of the ‘Waste to Wealth’ Mission by the Government of India in August 2020, to identify, develop, and deploy technologies for better management of waste, recycling of material, and extending resources of value from it. He also mentioned the specific allocation of budget given to faecal sludge management, source segregation of garbage, wastewater treatment, reduction in single-use plastic, etc in the Budget 2021-22, which he said showed that the centre is giving importance to this sector. The panel of the webinar consisted of five eminent scholars including, CP Singh, Co-founder, Eswach Integrated Solutions Pvt Ltd; Dr BR Yadav, Scientist, Technology Development Centre, Council of Scientific & Indian Research  National  Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR- NEERI); Dr Debishree Khan, Director’s Research   Cell,    CSIR-NEERI;        Dr Shalini Sharma, Co-founder and CEO, Sanshodhan: An E-Waste exchange; and Dr Swapnil Patel, Assistant Nodal Officer, Surat Municipal Corporation. Dr Yadav’s session on digitalization in the sector of wastewater management elaborated how digitalization can be introduced in two ways, including real-time monitoring of the aquatic bodies along with the discharge released by several industries and municipal bodies. His presentation elaborated on three types of wastewater, which is categorized on the basis of its source – domestic (residential, shops, offices, toilets, sinks, and bathrooms), industrial, and stormwater  (from rain, fields). He talked about how even domestic wastewater is of two types – greywater (from sinks, baths, and washing machines which has low pollutant load) and black water (from flushed toilets and has high pollutant load). He added that currently in India, there is no provision for segregation of these two types of domestic wastewater. Dr Yadav elaborated on the three components of a wastewater treatment plant – collection, treatment, and disposal. He further talked about how digitisation can be put use into the effective functioning of these sectors. According to him, in the collection sector, real-time quality measurement can be introduced using which, flow and quality of wastewater can be measured and recorded. The next step would be,  he said, to assess quality parameters in the treatment process to save energy. He highlighted the limitations of current methods of measuring the quality of wastewater and said that “to overcome all the (current) issues, we need physical instruments which can give instant results.” He also shed light on the various processes of treating wastewater. He then appreciated the various advancements that have been made towards the digitisation of wastewater management and explained its field adaptation.

Dr Singh then invited Dr Debishree Khan to throw light on the topic of the digitalisation of urban solid waste management (DUSWM). She started her presentation by defining waste, its management and its challenges and later highlighted the components of solid waste management and the scope for its improvement. She also talked about the ‘Waste to Wealth’ idea, explaining how technology-driven management of domestic, agricultural and industrial waste can lead to commercial benefits. She stressed the need for innovative waste management and described various features of integrated solid waste management. She then gave a detailed account of how, by using new technologies, we can find alternative solutions to existing problems in waste management. She also argued for a shift to the “circular economy” model, using digital technologies in managing waste and utilising waste to create energy, roads, fuels, etc to give a ‘new life to waste. She appreciated government programmes like Swatch Bharat Mission (SBM) and Digital India and said that these initiatives will contribute heavily to the DUSWM.

The next speaker, Dr Shalini Sharma, began her presentation by giving a brief description of her organisation, highlighted the various challenges persisting in e-waste management, and explained her organisation’s role in solving them. She mentioned the issue of unrestricted mining for obtaining resources for electronic products. According to her, the biggest challenge exists in the lack of infrastructure in India for proper channelling of e-waste so it can be recycled and properly treated. She added that people are not aware of whatever few channels are available in the nation due to which, electronic waste ends up in the hands of informal players where no heed is paid to child labour and GHG emissions.

Dr Singh called Dr Patel as the next speaker who began his presentation by giving a brief background of Surat’s achievements in meeting SBM goals. He highlighted the various problems in waste management in   Surat and presented Smart Solid Waste Management System(SSWMS) as its solution. He explained how adopting SSWMS will lead to an increase in waste collection, end malpractices and improve field-level compliance. He concluded his presentation by stressing the benefits and advantages of SSWMS.

C.P. Singh, founder of organization “Swachh”, which provides solutions for integrated waste management, began his session by pointing to the huge amount of untreated waste in India and the need for segregating waste at its source. He showed how “Swachh” has worked extensively towards this end by using the Internet of Things (IoT) for contactless segregated waste collection and the benefits of adopting this model. He then highlighted the accuracy of this model by presenting a progress report showing a gradual adoption of practising waste segregation by all residents in a society within a month. This feat was made possible by spreading awareness among residents and semi-skilling workers. He also exhibited the role of their mobile application in implementing the process. He concluded his presentation by explaining how “Swachh” treats the collected waste in a reliable manner and talked about Zero Waste Gurugram, a programme launched by Swachh and Municipal Corporation of Gurugram. He said that the focus is being put on the segregation of waste at the source by sensitising the residents. He mentioned that all the wet waste collected from the city is treated by his organisation and converted into manure through environmentally friendly processes. During the conclusion of the Webinar, the panellists referred to the importance of segregation of waste to ensure the feasibility of biomethanation plants installed in the country, thus reiterating the significance of waste segregation at the source. Dr Singh was of the opinion that the importance and urgency of waste segregation and appropriate management is reflected by the fact that for the first time in independent India, the Union Budget mentioned and allocated funds for the same. He said that improvements need to be made in the country with respect to waste management while keeping in mind the importance of stopping practices like biomining and bioremediation of numerous dumpsites across the country.

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