Net-zero waste to be mandatory for buildings

Net-zero waste to be mandatory for buildings

Subject: Schemes

Context: According to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, all upcoming housing societies and commercial complexes in the country will soon mandatorily have to ensure net zero waste.

More on the News:

• The directive is part of the Manhole to Machine-hole scheme for the complete removal of manual scavenging and has been formulated as a convergence of programmes like Swachch Bharat, NAMASTE and AMRUT.
• India currently generates 72,368 million litres per day of urban wastewater of which only 28% is treated.
• According to a 2021 report – ‘Circular Economy in Municipal Solid and Liquid Waste’, if the sale of treated sewage is institutionalised, it can add close to ₹3,285 crore annually.
• The UN SDG 6.3 aims at halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally by 2030.
• The Ministry is also looking at integrating septic tank design into the building by-laws and adherence to standard specifications, geo-tagging all septic tanks and manholes for proper tracking, and reducing GST on mechanised cleaning vehicles.

NAMASTE scheme

• NAMASTE envisages safety and dignity of sanitation workers in urban India by creating an enabling ecosystem that recognizes sanitation workers as one of the key contributors in operations and maintenance of sanitation infrastructure.
• Ensuring safety and dignity of sanitation workers in urban India and providing sustainable livelihood and enhancing their occupational safety through capacity building and improved access to safety gear and machines.
• National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme is a central sector scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE).
• It is being jointly implemented by MoSJE and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• Five hundred cities (converging with AMRUT cities) will be taken up under this phase of NAMASTE. The category of cities that will be eligible are given below:
  • All Cities and Towns with a population of over one lakh with notified Municipalities, including Cantonment Boards (Civilian areas),
  • All Capital Cities/Towns of States/ Union Territories (UTs), not covered in 4(i),
  • Ten Cities from hill states, islands and tourist destinations (not more than one from each State).
• The NAMASTE Scheme has been approved with an outlay of Rs. 360 crore for four years from 2022-23 to 2025-26.