New Delhi: The Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBMG) of Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, held a National Workshop on Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) on 30th and 31st January 2019 in New Delhi. The workshop was attended by District Collectors, CEOs, CDOs, Executive Engineers and other officers, from across the country.
Addressing the officers at the inauguration of the workshop, Shri Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, reiterated the SBMG’s continued commitment to SLWM and shared an overview of the various ongoing initiatives of the Ministry. He said that the Mission is on track to deliver an Open Defecation Free (ODF) India well before the set deadline of October 2019 and is focusing increasingly on sustaining the ODF outcomes and ODF-plus activities including SLWM.
The workshop emphasized the importance of Fecal Sludge Management (FSM) for rural census towns and large dense villages and Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resource–dhan (GOBAR-DHAN) in rural areas. It also covered Plastic Waste Management, Grey Water Management and featured case studies from across the country.
During the course of the workshop, the district representatives prepared action plans and roadmap towards implementing 46 FSM and GOBAR-DHAN projects in their districts in coordination with the technical experts at the central and State levels. The experts on FSM shared various technological and operational models, specific to different geographic terrains and climatic conditions. Innovative Solid Waste Management initiatives from across the country were shared by the States. This included transforming waste into construction bricks and fuel during the harsh winters in Leh district in Jammu and Kashmir. Kerala showcased the “Green Protocol” being implemented in Thiruvananthapuram district using the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) to minimize waste generation. Rajgarh district from Madhya Pradesh presented the experience of successfully implementing the GOBAR-DHAN project.
On Day-2 of the workshop, participants undertook a field visit to Ghaziabad district to study the work done in the district on SLWM and FSM. The team visited Bhowapur village, followed by a Fecal Sludge Treatment Plant in the district to understand the co-treatment model of fecal sludge and sewage collected from households.
