02/03/2015
A BILLION REASONS FOR WASTE TO ENERGY IN INDIA
Ranjith Annepu
A municipal solid waste open dump site near Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Credit: Ranjith Annepu
Twenty three Indian cities will each generate more than 1000 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste per day in the next five years. Cumulatively they will generate 93,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day. At this scale, solid waste management systems without waste to energy combustion technology, will not be able to safely and economically treat and recover energy from post-recycled waste.
By Ranjith Annepu
In response to the need to properly manage Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in India the first of the third generation of Waste to Energy (WtE) plants began operations in December 2011. Six more plants are in construction, five have been tendered and three projects are in the conceptual phase. In the next five years a further 40 projects are expected to complete the conceptual planning and design phases.
Lack of data and awareness, and qualified human resources are the biggest challenges for WtE in India. At some point, these will be overcome. The question is when and who will take the initiative? The government, industry or the public?
If we wait until public demands reach the intensity that will move governments or the industry, we will have impacted many lives.
The large scale of the waste problem, the need for safe disposal, and the availability of affordable technology are the three biggest opportunities for WtE. The government of India, various ministries, and supporting organisations, as well as the solid waste management industry have an opportunity to improve public health and quality of life, conserve environmental resources, mitigate climate change, and generate energy with the aid of this technology