Bengaluru: EU, BBMP to work together on solid waste management project

Bengaluru: Ambassador of the European Union to India Ugo Astuto visited one of the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management facilities in Koromangala along with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Joint Commissioner, SWM, Sarfaraz Khan. They later met BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta who discussed management of specialized waste like construction and demolition debris, a major concern for the civic body.

The European Union and German Federal Ministry of the Environment and Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) funded Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA) support project 'Waste Solutions for a Circular Economy in India' will support Bengaluru in transition to low-carbon MSW management technologies in line with circular economy principles.

The project aims to provide technical and financial support to BBMP for setting up new plants and revamping of existing Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), compost facilities and bio-methanation plants. The project will also support in creating a role-model source segregation system through citizen engagement and demonstrating models for integrating the informal sector in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru is one of the five lighthouse cities chosen for the NAMA Support project funded under the NAMA Facility. Other locations include Goa, Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), and the North Delhi Municipal Corporation. The project is being implemented by GIZ. The project has the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) as the nodal agency and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) as the implementation partner. The project is working with various State bodies as well.

The project will also support lighthouse cities including Bengaluru in capacity building of its staff on low-carbon waste management solutions as well as facilitate technological collaboration with the European companies in this area. The project will help reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, landfill space and lead to improved recovery of resources. It also aims at increasing awareness on source segregation of waste by conducting campaigns on associated environmental pollution and health risks and facilitating availability of low-carbon solutions for waste treatment technologies towards circular economy. Solid waste management in line with circular economy principles is a key area of collaboration between the EU and India. Talking about the project, Ambassador Ugo Astuto said, "Through this project, the EU is happy to cooperate with India and Bengaluru Authorities in fostering the transition to low-carbon technologies in the area of solid waste."

BBMP Chief Commissioner, Gaurav Gupta extended a warm welcome to the delegation and assured his support for the project implementation. He said, "The transition to circular economy is a priority for the city and the role of international cooperation in facilitating knowledge and experience exchange is crucial." He further proposed preparing a vision document for MSW management for the city of Bengaluru along with stock-take of the ongoing initiatives.

Gupta expressed interest to collaborate on management of specialized waste like construction and demolition (C&D) waste, as it is a major concern for BBMP. He suggested that a plan for management of C&D waste, including collection, transport, storage, processing and use of final products should be prepared.