India has growing menace of construction and demolition (C&D) waste in Indian cities.
A proactive effort from municipalities and citizens towards recycling of C&D waste will go a long way in curbing pollution.
What are the harmful effects of C&D wastes?
The C&D waste include bricks, concrete, stones, hard-core subsoil, topsoil, timber, glass, gypsum, ceramics and also plastics.
C&D waste increases particulate matter in the air and leads to air pollution, and when compared with municipal solid waste it causes more traffic congestion and also pollution from dust.
When water gets trapped in the C&D debris it becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes and no amount of spraying can reach the hidden pockets of water.
Dumping C&D waste in lakes for encroachment, a common practice in large cities, also results in loss of wetlands which are necessary for water purification.
What are the concerns with C&D waste regulation in India?
In India construction of roads, bridges, flyovers, factories, commercial complexes are happening at a rapid phase.
There is no sufficient heed to the construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated during construction.
C&D Waste Management Rules were notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change in March 2016.
But this rules are yet to be implemented due to the lack of co-ordination between municipal corporations, municipalities and other urban local bodies.
What measures are needed to address the issues?
Awareness - Waste generators must be made aware of the nature of the hazard posed by C&D waste.
Citizens must also be made aware of the harmful effects of C&D waste which makes the cities vulnerable to floods.
Deconstruction - Manual demolition by hammer and pickaxe enables recovery and reuse of building materials.
By contrast, mechanised demolition through wrecking balls generates more C&D waste, and makes the waste management much more difficult.
Thus deconstruction of buildings enables a much larger recovery of unmixed materials for reuse than mechanical demolition.
Community Cooperation - A proactive effort on the part of the municipalities with community co-operation is called for to keep C&D waste off the roads, pavements and vacant sites and encourage its transport to recycling units.
Responsibility of Owners - Vacant site owners are often untraceable in the records, and owners, titles and boundaries are typically unclear.
Debris dumping is often accepted, if not welcomed, by owners to prevent encroachment.
Municipalities must also remove unauthorised dumpsites on vacant land public or private while recovering the cost of transporting the waste to the recycling plants through a penalty from the owner.
Integrated Mechanism - Backward and forward linkages need to be forged with all recycling plants so that C&D waste reaches the recycling plants and there is an effective demand for the output from these plants.
Government construction works can set an example by using the recycled products as prescribed in C&D Waste Management Rules (2016).
Regulatory Policy - It is important to set standards and have quality certification for the recycled materials.
Such measure willencourage more builders to use C&D waste materials and contribute to the cause of sustainable urban development.
