NGT exempts Andhra Pradesh from fine in respect of disposal of solid, liquid and legacy wastes

Distribution of bins for segregation of waste at source, mechanisation of door-to-door collection of garbage, and construction of STPS are among the initiatives being taken under CLAP, the government tells NGT.

The Andhra Pradesh government has initiated an action plan through cluster approach for complying with the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) with regard to disposal of solid, liquid and legacy wastes under the Clean AP (CLAP) programme.

The initiative came in the context of the NGT questioning why it should not pass directions in the matter, on the lines of the orders issued recently to the governments of some States, during a hearing on November 17.

According to an official release, the NGT did not impose any fine on the State government as it was convinced by the commitment given by it to take the initiative forward under CLAP, and to spend the allocated funds on the completion of various projects.

The State government informed the NGT that the Municipal Administration & Urban Development Department envisioned CLAP, named as Jagananna Swachha Sankalpam, and due focus had been laid on achieving the best possible outcomes, for which a cluster approach was evolved.

Components of CLAP

The components of CLAP include distribution of bins for segregation of waste at source, construction of 138 temporary garbage transfer stations for secondary transportation to processing plants, mechanisation of door-to-door collection of garbage, integrated solid waste management projects, and construction of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs).

While giving a detailed account of the measures taken by it for improving cleanliness, the government stated that the total solid waste generated stood at 6,890 Tonnes Per Day (TPD) in all the 123 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and the per-day processing quantity was 6,535 tonnes.

The legacy waste was about 86 lakh tonnes in the 123 ULBs, and 17.39 lakh tonnes was remediated.

The total sewage generated in the State was roughly 1,503.20 Million Litres Per Day (MLD), and the capacity of the STPs was increased to 614.45 MLD from 535.45 MLD by speeding up and completing three STPs in Visakhapatnam, Ongole and Pulivendula.