NEW DELHI: The government is planning solutions and devices for waste management using internet of things (IoT). The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is examining a proposal to use IoT for waste management as part of its Smart City programme.
“For Smart City programme to flourish, waste management would play an important role. In waste disposal, technologies like IoT can help the city administration in controlling the amount of waste that is disposed at regular intervals, thereby avoiding build-up,” said Ashish Gulati, country head, Telit India.
IoT solutions and devices for waste management revolve around two main benefits: determining the best time to collect waste and figuring out what route trucks should follow. These two advantages can reduce the time it takes to address potential waste build-up problems.
IoT can be used in practically all scenarios for public services by governments to make cities environment-friendly. “ITSensor-enabled devices have been tried and tested in India on pilot mode to monitor the environmental impact on cities, collect details about sewers, air quality, and garbage and the current testing is to explore its applicability in smart cities,” a senior official in the IT ministry said. He added that such devices could also help monitor woods, rivers, lakes, and oceans.
An urban IoT can provide means to monitor the quality of the air in crowded areas, parks, or fitness trails. “The realisation of such a service requires that air quality and pollution sensors be deployed across the city and the sensor data be made publicly available to citizens,” said Gulati.
According to IT ministry official, the potential of the technology for waste management will be discussed with the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) soon. “MoUD is the nodal agency for smart cities and it will have a final call on this. The potential is huge and companies planning to develop smart cities will incorporate them when they implement the project.”