Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation: A Journey Towards Sustainable Waste Management

Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation (Nagar Nigam Gorakhpur) was established in 1869 as a municipality and later in 1982 upgraded to a municipal corporation in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated on the banks of Rapti River

The growth of Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation (GMC) has been rapid. In 1901, the population was 64,148, and the geographical area was 26.45 km2. By 2000, these figures had risen to 622,701 and 136.85 km2 respectively. The present (2024) population is estimated at 1,154,044 in an area of 285 km2. The average per capita solid waste generation in the city is 0.270 kg per day. Thus, the per day waste generation is estimated as 311 tons per day.

According GMC statistics, there are 15 main commercial markets contributes about 30 tons of solid waste daily. The Mahewa market is one of the largest markets for vegetables, fruits, and fish, generating an estimated 10 tons of waste daily. In addition, there are mixed zones comprising commercial shops, markets, and residential areas. Approximately 530 such zones function as small and medium vegetable, fruit, and fish markets. Gorakhpur also has around 230 hospitals and nursing homes.

Water bodies in and around the city are under increasing threat due to the lack of a scientific disposal mechanism for liquid and solid waste. Freshwater lakes like Chilua Tal, Ramgarh Tal, and rivers such as the Rohin and Rapti rivers are worse polluted by open dumping of solid waste and the direct discharge of effluents.

Like many other cities in India, Gorakhpur also failed to keep up the standards of cleanliness, waste management and controlling the pollution amidst the rapid urbanization. This has resulted in several litigations at the National Green Tribunal (NGT). There was a series of litigations against GMC in the green court. Some of the notable cases among them are: OA 116/2014 for the lack of facilities for treating sewage waste and the contamination of water bodies, OA 613/2022 and OA 742/2022 related to the dumping of garbage on the banks of the Rapti River in Gorakhpur, OS 432/2023 pertaining to water pollution caused by industrial discharge etc.

The green court has repeatedly criticized municipal authorities for failing to maintain cleanliness and control of pollution. As a result, the NGT has issued a series of orders and established monitoring committees to oversee solid and liquid waste management in the Gorakhpur municipal area and its surroundings. In March 2018, the NGT imposed a fine of ?5 lakh on the Corporation for its failure to comply with solid waste management regulations and earlier court orders. Earlier this year, the green court also banned open littering and the dumping of waste throughout the state of Uttar Pradesh as part of its rulings.

Despite these setbacks, the district and state administrations have been working hard behind the scenes. They have implemented a systematic waste collection, segregation, and disposal process, and promoted recycling and composting. Four dedicated departments are responsible for waste management and sanitation in the city, they are Waste Management Services, Sanitation Services, City Beautification and Grievance Redressal. The city also has Integrated Control and Command center, monitoring the cleanliness, street lighting, water supply, traffic and security measures.

The city has already eliminated their landfill site and have 5 functional MRFs (Material Recovery Sites). The CBG (Compressed Bio Gas) plant by Indian Oil Corporation is converting 20 tons of agricultural waste into biogas. Another 220 crore plant is proposed to recycle the plastic waste and produce high quality PECT. This plastic recycling plant have a capacity of 36,000 metric tons annually and is in joint collaboration of DPIPL, a leader in plastic recycling, SLMG, Coco cola’s bottling partner and Coco cola India. One C&D site of 50 TPD is under construction. GMC have recently introduced Bandicoot – a robotic machine for cleaning sewers and manholes. Two Pink Mobile Toilets are operational in the city.

Their hard work has yielded success. Swachh Survekshan is national level ranking of all the Urban Local Bodies of India, and coordinated by MoHUA, Government of India. Swachh Survekshan ranks the cities based on their achievements in waste management, cleanliness and sanitation. This is considered as the world’s largest cleanliness survey. ?In Swachh Survekshan 2017, Gorakhpur was ranked 314th out of 434 cities, scoring only 38% marks. However, in Swachh Survekshan-2023, its position had improved to 243rd out of 4,477 cities, with a remarkable 86% score. Gorakhpur is now one of the 49 cities in India to achieve a ThreeStar GarbageFree City (GFC) rating. (There are four levels of GFC ranking, seven star (2 cities), Five star (10 cities), Three star (49 cities) and single star (335 cities) as the 2023 ranking). Gorakhpur also achieved ODF++ status. In October, this year, Gorakhpur has become UP’s first municipality obtaining ISO certificate for its waste management.

GMC is continuing its journey. It is all set to become India’s first Integrated Waste Management City by September 2025. The Corporation authorities have unveiled an ambitious ?300 crore project aimed at providing a sustainable waste management solution and offering technical expertise to other regions. The country’s first integrated sustainable waste management facility will serve as a role model for other cities to adopt eco-friendly waste management.

The major objectives of the proposed project are:

·?????? Transition the city towards a circular economy model.

·?????? Boost revenue from sustainable waste management

·?????? Create direct and indirect job opportunities for the people

·?????? Serve as a learning hub for technical expertise in sustainable waste management

This integrated Waste Management City cum Learning Centre is spread across 40 acres in Suthni Village of Gorakhpur. 80% of the construction works are completed. In addition to managing the waste of Municipal Corporation, it will cater to the needs of eight nearby Urban Local Bodies also, marking significant step towards the regional sustainability. The proposed facility has the capacity to address both the current waste management need as well as anticipated increase in waste generation in the coming years. The project will have three dedicated plants for Dry Waste, Wet Waste and Hazardous Waste.

1. Dry Waste

This 500 tons per day plant have total investment of 300 crore is developed by collaborating with NTPC. This project will convert the municipal solid waste into green coal. Keystone Energy Systems, in partnership with PES Engineers, has won a bid to build a waste-to-charcoal project. This project ensures revenue generation and employment opportunities.

1. Wet Waste

The wet waste plant will recycle 200 tons of food waste per day to make Bio CNG. This project has been initiated under PPP (Private Public Partnership) model. The CNG will be using in the Municipality vehicles. This model expects to save 12-15 crore monthly on vehicle fuel cost.

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1. Hazardous Waste

This plant will process the domestic hazardous waste using eco-friendly methods. This 7 crores, project, funded by National Clean Air Programme is developing by the support of Maharashtra based VDK Facilities Service Limited.

Furthermore, the city is also proposing a learning hub of the professional in the waste management sector, aiming to offer technical expertise to other municipalities and states.

The journey of Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation is really inspiring one for any local bodies. Once a repeated violator, it has turned into a role model for the entire country by emerging as the first integrated waste management city in the country. This project also highlights the private participation in the urban services and classic example of holistic planning. Further, these initiatives together will contribute significantly to India’s Net Zero emission goals.

As Warren Buffett, one of the world’s most well-known investors, once said, “Instead of calling them role models, I call them heroes.”. Indeed, Nagar Nigam Gorakhpur is a real hero.