The Waste to Wealth Mission of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, and the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF), launched a pilot technology today to clean the Gaunchi Drain at Sanjay Colony, Faridabad. The Gaunchi Drain is a key arterial drainage system in Faridabad. Gaunchi is amongst the 11 most polluted drains of Haryana that together release 1002 million litres of polluted water in the Yamuna every day. Cleaning the drain will go a long way in reducing the waste burden in the river.

 

 

L: Floating waste at the Gaunchi Drain, Faridabad                           R: Drain cleaning in progress by PSA supported technology pilot

 

The project has deployed a RISE (Research Initiative For Scientific Enhancement) machine from DESMI EnviRo-CLEAN A/S, a Danish company that specialises in cleaning water bodies. The machine will collect and remove up to 300 Kgs of floating waste and debris from the drain daily. The Waste to Wealth Mission and MCF will jointly monitor and operate this machine and build the evidence to scale up such projects in other water bodies across India. The project will also explore technologies to treat and utilise the waste removed from the drain.

 

Announcing the project, Prof K. VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India stated, “the Hon’ble Prime Minister strongly advocates local technological approaches that are supported by global science. To solve the country’s waste challenges there is a need for applying innovative technologies that are customised to Indian conditions. Efforts towards making India free of plastic pollution is a driving force for all of us. The PM’s Science Technology and Innovation Council (PMSTIAC) is committed to steering this major science-led mission to tackle India’s waste challenges. This Faridabad pilot is a strong step towards developing and demonstrating solutions that can clean India’s polluted urban drainage systems and water ways. We are pleased to implement this partnership with the State of Haryana and look forward to working closely with the state officials to augment this effort and also to realise the CM’s commitment towards developing model integrated waste management clusters.”

The Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Krishan Pal Gurjar said “The Hon’ble Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi is fulfilling Gandhi’s dream of a clean India through the Swacch Bharat Mission. The Haryana Government and Faridabad Administration are committed to the goals of the mission. The Gaunchi Drain project that has been launched today is a timely step in this direction. I would like to specially thank the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the GoI for their support in setting up this pilot. This project will play a pivotal role in cleaning the drain. For this to be a sustainable solution, the local communities should get involved with the project and work with the local authorities in maximizing the impact of the pilot. I again congratulate the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad on this pilot and encourage them to expand partnership with the Waste to Wealth Mission and deploy more innovative technologies to make Faridabad a model waste management cluster in line with CM’s vision”.

For further information on the Waste to Wealth mission and its work, please contact sbub@investindia.org.in.

 

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NB/KGS/(Release from PSA’s Office)

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