India : Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0-Comprehensive Municipal Waste Management Program In Indian Cities

Water and other urban infrastructure and services / Urban sanitation - Urban solid waste management

As the fifth largest economy in the world, India has a population estimated at 1.41 billion, with an urban component of 498 million growing at 2.3% annually. Waste management is a public health challenge. India generates about 62 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) annually. Economic and demographic growth in cities have increased the challenges and complexity of MSW management. Collection rates range from below 50% in small cities to 70%-90% in large cities and 22%-28% of waste is untreated. Uncollected waste is openly burned or pollutes land and waterways, while collected waste may be illegally tipped, or ends up in uncontrolled dumpsites. For sanitation, the first phase of the government's Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) eliminated open defecation among 500 million people, alleviating the acute health risks and preventing pollution of land and water bodies. However, maintaining the open defecation-free (ODF) status is a constant challenge, in terms of behavioral and cultural factors, maintenance of sanitary facilities, and equity of access.

With an inadequate infrastructure base, India's urban sector is vulnerable to climate change impacts. Global warming is projected to cause more frequent and extreme floods and landslides, damaging urban infrastructure. Clogged drainage systems from improper disposal of solid waste exacerbate flood and health risks, while natural hazards, such as flooding and earthquakes, increase the waste entering the environment and change waste characteristics. Pathogens and pollutants may be flushed into the environment from the flooding of septic tanks and storage pits while water scarcity can impact the functionality of sanitation systems. Uncontrolled landfill sites are vulnerable to flood risks, while heat waves increase the risk of landfill fires. India accounts for 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions; its emissions from waste generate 83 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. As MSW is generally linked with the development and per capita income, methane emissions from landfills are highly correlated with the gross state domestic product

The Indian Government's flagship 5-year Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission Urban (SBM-U) was launched in 2014 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA). SBM-U aimed for all statutory towns to (i) achieve 100% ODF status, (ii) ensure 100% scientific solid waste management (SWM), and (iii) promote behavior change through Jan Andolan (public movement). The mission achieved significant levels of success against these objectives, with the massive engagement of citizens across all categories of society. An evaluation of SBM-U highlighted the need for greater attention to (i) managing different types of solid wastes; (ii) budgetary support for disposal of legacy waste, management of plastic waste, and construction and demolition waste; (iii) continued investment in sanitation to prevent back-sliding; (iv) sustained and adequate infrastructure; (v) capacity building and skilling of all relevant stakeholders; and (vi) more extensive information, education, and communication (IEC) outreach. As follow-on to SBM-U, SBM 2.0 was launched in 2021, committing to making all cities 'Garbage Free' by 2026, while maintaining ODF status across 4,372 urban local bodies (ULB). Asian Development Bank's (ADB) proposed support for SBM 2.0 will incorporate lessons learned from its long engagement with MOHUA in national flagship missions and at state and ULB level. The interventions will also improve the urban economy through increased livability and investments.

Output 1: Sanitation and solid waste management infrastructure, access and service delivery improved. This will include (i) planning and upgrading systems for segregating MSW at source, door-to-door waste collection; and setting up waste management facilities such as material recovery facilities, transfer stations, composting plants, bio methanation plants, refuse derived fuel processing facilities, plastic waste processing facilities, and sanitary landfills; (ii) procuring mechanized sweeping equipment and setting up processing facilities for construction and demolition waste; (iii) establishing public/communal toilets and urinals in selected open defecation 'hot spots'; (iv) supporting gender equality and social inclusion (GESI)-sensitive training for sanitation workers; and (v) incorporating climate- and disaster-resilient features and GESI-responsive features in infrastructure and service delivery.

Output 2: Enabling environment for sustainable waste management strengthened. Institutional strengthening measures will support all stakeholders to deliver, manage, maintain, and strengthen assets and systems developed through the program, and increase resilience to the impacts of climate change and natural hazards. Specific initiatives will include (i) GESI-sensitive IEC campaigns to promote behavior change at household and community level; (ii) application of differential user charges, (iii) deployment of innovative technologies and digital solutions, (iv) data collection systems on informal waste workers by gender and by vulnerable group, (v) upstream work for public-private partnerships and private sector engagement, (vi) participation of women self-help groups, and (vii) institutional mainstreaming of climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Impacts the Program is Aligned with:

Healthy citizens living in resilient and garbage-free cities with clean air, clean water and clean land achieved

Emissions intensity reduced by 45% from 2005 levels, by 2030.

Improved performance of target states in comprehensive waste management

Sanitation and solid waste management infrastructure, access and service delivery improved.

Enabling environment for sustainable waste management strengthened.