Panjab Generates 4,376 TPD Solid Waste, Less Than Half is Treated

Panjab generates approximately 4,376.6 tonnes per day (TPD) of solid waste, but less than half of this waste is processed. Answering an unstarred question by Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament), the Indian govt. released the information citing Punjab State Pollution Control Board (PPCB) from the year 2022-23. Amritsar produces 520 TPD waste of which only 252 TPD is processed and 5 TPD is disposed of in a secure landfill. Ludhiana, the state’s most polluted city, produces 1,100 TPD waste but processes only 165 TPD. Panjab’s overall waste processing rate stands at around 41%. The report highlighted the lack of adequate waste processing facilities and mentioned the initiation of bio-mining operations at several dumpsites. Despite efforts like bio-mining at dumpsites and city-specific clean air action plans by the union government’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), significant gaps remain in waste treatment and air pollution control. Measures to manage paddy straw burning include the establishment of paddy straw-based pelletization and torrefaction plants, with 13 such plants sanctioned in Panjab, which aim to utilize 248K tonnes of paddy straw annually. Across Indian states, Gujarat is the biggest polluter with 1.64 Metric Tonne (MT) of plastic waste generated between 2016 and 2021. According to data presented by Minister of State (MoS) Kirti Vardhan Singh based on the CPCB annual reports Gujarat, Karnataka (1.35 MT), Tamil Nadu (1.34 MT), and West Bengal (1.02 MT) collectively contributed nearly 37.64% of the total plastic waste in the five-year period 2016-2021. According to the CPCB data, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Tripura contributed least to plastic pollution.