New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday (February 24) said segregation of waste at source was of “vital importance” for the environment and asked the states falling in the National Capital Region (NCR) to file comprehensive affidavits on compliance made by all urban local bodies in adherence to the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
A bench comprising Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said that the non-compliance in adhering to the 2016 Rules had affected all cities in the country.
If there was no proper segregation of waste, even waste-to-energy projects would create more pollution: Apex Court
The bench further said that if there was no proper segregation of waste, even waste-to-energy projects would create more pollution.
Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, who has been appointed the amicus curiae in the pollution matter, flagged before the bench the issue of non-segregation of solid waste management in the NCR and said that sending unsegregated waste to waste-to-energy plants caused more pollution.
Apex court sought a comprehensive plan from NCR states on waste management
“As rightly submitted by the amicus curiae, the segregation of waste at source is of vital importance for the environment. If their is no proper segregation, even waste-to-energy projects will create more pollution,” the bench said while seeking a comprehensive plan from the NCR states on waste management along with timelines and implementing agencies.
The NCR states have been asked to file their affidavits by end of March.
The bench also directed the Central Pollution Control Board to file a report on the impact of waste-to-energy projects on the environment.
What did the court earlier say?
The court earlier, while dealing with the issue of solid waste management in the national capital, had said that if there was no real solution to tackle the issue of untreated solid waste generated per day in the city, it would consider passing drastic orders to stop certain construction activities. It had also flagged the failure of the Delhi government and the municipal corporation to comply with the 2016 Rules.
