The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has recently approved a significant loan of $200 million to enhance solid waste management and sanitation across 100 cities in India. This initiative is a major stride in supporting the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission–Urban 2.0, which aims for all cities to be garbage-free by 2026.
The Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0–Comprehensive Municipal Waste Management in Indian Cities Program focuses on introducing international best practices, innovative technologies, and strategies that are resilient to climate and disasters in municipal solid waste management. It also emphasizes strengthening women’s participation in sanitation and service delivery, as well as harnessing private-sector participation.
Key components of the ADB’s support include upgrading and establishing waste management facilities like bio-methanation plants, composting plants, managed landfills, material recovery facilities, and plastic waste processing facilities. Moreover, it will aid in the construction of communal toilets and urinals, and the acquisition of sweeping equipment. These facilities and urban services will be developed with features responsive to climate and disaster resilience, gender equality, and social inclusion.
The program also aims to build the capacity of urban local bodies for waste management and sanitation, foster peer-to-peer learning, and engage actively with the private sector. It will support conducting annual reviews and progress updates of citywide solid waste and sanitation action plans. Furthermore, training and awareness campaigns for sanitation workers and communities will be carried out to improve waste segregation and waste collection practices.
In addition to the loan, ADB will provide an extra $3.15 million technical assistance (TA) grant from its Urban Resilience Trust Fund, the Republic of Korea e-Asia and Knowledge Partnership Fund, and the Sanitation Financing Partnership Trust Fund. This grant will back program implementation, capacity building of selected states on financial management and monitoring and evaluation, and facilitate twinning or city-to-city partnerships.
This initiative by the ADB is a significant step towards improving public health, environmental sustainability, and enhancing the quality of life in urban areas in India.