Delhi Leads In Construction And Demolition Waste Generation: CSE Report Reveals Alarming Figures

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released a new report on Monday, revealing that Delhi produces approximately 3,711 tonnes per day (TPD) of construction and demolition (C&D) waste. This figure is the highest among the 35 non-attainment cities that have disclosed their data on the Central Pollution Control Board’s Portal for Regulation of Air-pollution in Non-Attainment cities (PRANA). The report, titled "Construction and Demolition Waste – Closing the Waste Loop for Sustainability," highlighted that Delhi's C&D waste generation is more than four times the estimated quantity of 817.49 TPD. Notably, 96 other cities have not shared their data as part of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to improve local air quality.

The report listed Ahmedabad as the second-highest generator at 1,000 TPD, followed by Faridabad and Noida at 300 TPD each. It also identified flaws in calculating C&D waste under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) 2.0, suggesting a potential underestimation. According to SBM 2.0 estimates, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Bengaluru were identified as top generators, but the report argued that these estimates were significantly lower than the reported figures by the cities.

The study indicated that only 35 cities, constituting 26% of the 131 non-attainment cities with uploaded plans, provided statistics on C&D waste generation, totaling 6,563.48 TPD. Delhi reported the highest generation in the country, with 3,448 TPD. The report highlighted that cities, applying a thumb rule of 50 grams per capita per day, estimated their C&D waste generation as part of the city solid waste action plan. However, the estimated waste production of these 35 cities (3,052 TPD) was less than half of the actual 6,663 TPD they produced. Experts emphasized the need for all C&D waste to be directed to processing plants, expressing concern that cities were not adequately planning for the actual waste generated, potentially undermining effective C&D waste management efforts. Mitashi Singh, programme manager at CSE, urged a reevaluation of the SBM 2.0 estimates to ensure accurate waste management planning.