CM releases CSE's new book on solid waste magement

From a Correspondent

JORHAT, August 10: The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi-based research and advocacy organization, organized a book release and discussion here on Wednesday where its latest publication titled Not In My Backyard was released by Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal. The book is a comprehensive alysis of the state of solid waste magement in Indian cities, including cities in the Northeast.

Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal also conferred CSE’s Clean City Awards to two cities - Aizawl and Gangtok. These are two of the 14 urban centres that CSE has rated in its publication as cities with good waste magement practices.

Speaking at the release function, Chandra Bhushan, CSE’s deputy director general said, “This book started as a survey to simply find out which is India’s cleanest city and what makes it so. We knew that if we could find answers to these questions, we will have the answers for future policy.”

India faces a mammoth waste problem by generating more than 60 million tonnes of waste each year of which less than 25 per cent is processed and recycled; the rest is dumped in poorly maged dumpsites. In the North-eastern states not even 50 per cent of the waste is collected; less than 10 per cent is processed and recycled. However, cities like Aizawl are showing the path towards sustaible waste magement practices

The book release was followed by a discussion with city officials, regulators, urban planners, consultants and NGOs on the direction that waste magement should be taken up in the Northeast.