Govt frames rules to manage construction, demolition waste

In a first, the Centre today came out with rules to manage construction and demolition waste by prohibiting its dumping on roadsides and drains, a move aimed at reducing dust which contributes around 20 per cent to pollution in big cities, including Delhi.
The Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016 brought out by the Environment Ministry also makes it mandatory for local authorities to commission C&D waste plants in million-plus population cities within 18 months, cities with population of 5-10 lakhs within two years and cities having less than 5 lakh people within three years.
The rules also make it mandatory for large builders or waste generators to submit waste management plan along with their building plan, non-deposition of which may lead to non-grant of permission to the building.

Terming the rules as a "weapon" to tackle the issue of pollution, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the waste can actually be used as resource and the basis of the new rules is "recover, recycle and reuse".
"For the first time in the country, the government has come out with construction and demolition waste management rules. Its an initiative to tackle effectively the issue of pollution. Today as per Department of Science and Technology estimate, annual generation of such waste is 530 million tonnes. Without any rules, it is dumped in open spaces, drains, rivers, forest areas, landfills and roadside.

"It is unscientific dumping. These are not actually waste but resources. The basis of our new rules is recover, recycle and reuse. We can make tiles, pipes from it. This creates value to waste. So we came out with draft rules three months ago. 111 suggestions were recieved. We are now publishing the rules," Javadekar told reporters here, adding that the rules will be uploaded on the ministry webiste tonight.

Elaborating on some of the features, he said, "For every large generator, the permission for his building plan will only be given when he presents C&D disposal plan. So C&D waste management also becomes part of building permission.

"If the generator is generating more waste and collection is done by municipal authorities, the collection and taking it to the recyle unit, the builders will be charged by the authorities," he said.
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Javadekar said that all these rules will finally mean that there cannot be unscientific dumping of the waste and every person responsible for generation of such waste has to abide by the rules.
"Today in big cities, 20 per cent of pollution is caused by dust. We have already issued orders under section 18 as far as NCR is concerned that one has to put up a curtain where construction and demolition is going on...

"...Sprinkle water so that dust does not spread and the transportation of such waste should be in a covered vehicle. Now these instructions are for the entire country," he said adding that review of all the rules which have been notified recently including e-waste, biomedical waste and C&D will be done after every three months.
According to the ministry, City Ambient Air Quality is reported to be detoriating and the construction and demolition activity is one of the major source of particular matter especilly in cities contributing to 22-23 per cent.
It said that estimated waste generation during construction presently is 40-60 kg/sqm while waste generation during renovation or repair work is estimated to be 40-50 kg/sqm.

The highest contribution to waste generation is due to demolition of buildings while demolition of pucca and semi-pucca buildings on an average generates 500 and 300 kg/sqm of waste respectively.
"Local authorities are mandatorily to commission C&D waste based plants in million plus cities within one and a half years, cities with population of 5-10 lakhs within two years and other cities within three years.
"Large generators (producing above 20 tonnes of waste per day or 300 tonnes per project) have to submit waste management plan to address environmental issues including its disposal, reuse for approval of local authorities. Local authorities have to approve such plan along with building plan," according to the new rules.

They also said that large generators will pay relevant charges for collection, transportation, processing and disposal as notified by authorities concerned while littering or obstruction to public drains, water bodies, traffic, direct dumping in landfills have been "prohibited".
The service providers for telecom, water supply, sewage, gas pipeline and others have to remove all construction and demolition waste in consultation with the authority concerned. State governments have to provide sites for setting up of storgage, processing and recyling facilities for C&D waste within one-and-a-half years.
The rules also said that the secretary of Urban Development department will have to prepare C&D waste management policy within a year. The standards will be developed by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for C&D products and schedule of rates of the construction agencies to be amended to incorporate these products.