NEW DELHI: West Bengal has recorded the lowest performance in solid waste processing under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, with just eight percent of its daily waste being treated.
The state’s progress has dropped by two percent in four years. It was treating 10 percent of the garbage produced each day in 2021, when the second edition of the mission was launched.
According to data available on the SBM-U dashboard, solid waste processing in Nagaland and Mizoram are still in their infancy. Nagaland is processing just one percent of its daily waste while the latter’s performance is nil.
The dashboard states West Bengal generates 7,875.55 tonnes per day (TPD) of solid waste daily but processes only 588.65 TDP. This slow pace of progress was recently flagged during a review meeting held by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), which expressed concern over the state’s inability to scale up its solid waste treatment capacity.
There is decline in door-to-door garbage collection.
In 2021, 100 percent door-to-door collection was reported in 2,527 out of 2,939 municipal wards. However, the latest figures show a drop, with 2,317 out of 3,008 wards currently reporting full coverage.
Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar have also reported poor waste processing rates. The latest figures show that Arunachal Pradesh generates 177.78 TPD and processes just 22 percent of it. In 2021, the state was treating 25 percent of the total waste generated on a daily basis. Bihar, with a daily generation of 6,638.19 TPD, processes only 32 percent. No immediate response on performance of states from the ministry was available.
In contrast, several states and union territories have achieved remarkable success. Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli have reported 100 percent daily processing of solid waste.