BHUBANESWAR: Odisha government is gearing up to implement the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 within and outside the gram panchayat (GPs) areas including urban agglomeration across the State within next one year.
Joint Secretary of Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water department SC Das said the rules will be first implemented in three model GPs each in 30 districts and later scaled up to cover the entire State.
“The rule initially was meant for municipality areas. However, as per the recent directive of National Green Tribunal (NGT), rural areas will also have to follow the guidelines. We have identified all 90 GPs where the rule will be implemented soon,” Das said at a media round table on Solid Waste Management organised by Unicef here on Tuesday.
The Joint Secretary said the State Government is also formulating a sanitation policy in which GPs will be major stakeholders.
The new policy will mandate for compulsory compost pit in every household besides garbage cleaning and proper waste disposal.
Solid waste management expert Pramod Dabrase said, “Solid waste is a problem not only in cities but also in rural areas.
Everybody should practice waste reduction and management,” he said.
Though the waste generated in rural areas is predominantly organic and biodegradable, it is becoming a major concern due to indiscriminate disposal.
Chief of Unicef Odisha Monika Nielsen said solid waste has a significant impact on public health and environment and it is emerging as a huge problem that needs to be fixed urgently.