2026 · GS Paper 3 · Q17 · 15 marks
What are the challenges to solid waste management in India? Discuss the governmental policy framework on solid waste management. Discuss the success/failure cases of Delhi and Indore cities highlighting the salient feature of their solid waste management initiatives. (Answer in 250 words)
In short
India's solid waste management is held back by unsegregated waste, legacy dumpsites and weak urban local bodies, despite the SWM Rules, 2016 and Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0. Indore's six-way segregation and bio-CNG plant succeeded where Delhi's overflowing Ghazipur, Bhalswa and Okhla landfills failed.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 290 words
Mixed waste
Poor segregation at source leaves wet waste that defeats composting and waste-to-energy plants.
Legacy dumpsites
About 2,479 dumpsites hold nearly 25 crore tonnes of old waste (PIB, 2026).
Weak urban local bodies
A 2025 CAG audit found only 3 of 45 test-checked Uttar Pradesh ULBs had SWM plans.
Rules
The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 mandate three-way segregation, user fees and bulk-generator duties, while the Plastic Waste Management Rules add Extended Producer Responsibility and the 2022 single-use plastic ban.
Missions
Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 (2021) targets Garbage Free Cities, ranked through Swachh Survekshan star ratings.
Dumpsite remediation
The Lakshya Zero Dumpsite drive has remediated over 61% of legacy waste (PIB, 2026).
Delhi's landfill failure
Ghazipur, Bhalswa and Okhla landfills are far beyond capacity, and a Ghazipur slope collapse killed two people in 2017, reflecting poor segregation and fragmented civic control.
Indore's segregation model
Door-to-door collection with six-way segregation, GPS-tracked vehicles and fines made Indore India's cleanest city in Swachh Survekshan every year from 2017 to 2023.
Indore's closed loop
Its 550-tonne-a-day bio-CNG plant (2022) fuels city buses, and biomining cleared its Devguradia dumpsite.
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Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.