Implementation of Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2000: A Review of Gwalior City

摘要

The Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules lay down the steps to be taken by all municipal authorities to ensure management of solid waste according to best practice. Municipal authorities must meet the deadlines laid down in Schedule 1 of the rules and must follow the compliance criteria and procedure laid down in Schedule II. Hence, municipal authorities are responsible for implementing provisions of the 2000 rules. They must provide the infrastructure and services with regard to collection, storage, segregation, transport, treatment, and disposal of MSW. Municipal authorities are requested to obtain authorization (that is, permission or technical clearance) from the state pollution control board or committee to set up waste processing and disposal facilities, and they must deliver annual reports of compliance. The state pollution control boards are directed to process the application of municipal authorities and to issue authorization to the municipalities within 45 days of the application's submission. The CPCB is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the rules among the state boards. The municipalities were mandated to implement the rules by December 2003, with punishment for municipal authorities that failed to meet the standards prescribed; nevertheless, most municipalities did not meet the deadline. The deadline for implementing Schedule I of the 2000 rules has already passed, and compliance is far from effective. Some cities and towns have not even started implementing measures that could lead to compliance with the rules.