Sivasagar boosts pollution control with new waste treatment plant

INDIA – Assam’s Housing & Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah has inaugurated a modern solid waste management plant and Material Recovery Facility (MRF) centre at Borbill in the Amguri municipality area of Sivasagar district.

The project, developed under the AMRUT mission, marks a transformative step for the district, which has long grappled with waste accumulation, clogged drains, and recurring urban floods during the monsoon.

The inauguration was attended by Sivasagar Deputy Commissioner Aayush Garg, AMRUT Mission Director Sampriti Goswami, and municipal chairpersons Anamika Neog Baishya (Amguri), Mrinali Konwar (Sivasagar), and Pallabita Baruah Gohain (Demow).

After flagging off the facility, Mallabaruah planted a sapling on-site and inspected the technical trial run of the newly commissioned units.

He described the initiative as a turning point for the district’s cleanliness and resilience.

“With the inauguration of this project under Amguri Municipality, excellent and scientific waste disposal facilities have been made available, which will help keep the town clean and tidy,” he said.

The minister noted that the district has frequently suffered from plastic-choked drains and artificial flooding, issues the new facility aims to eliminate.

He also revealed that a clean drinking water project worth around Rs 14 crore will soon be launched under AMRUT 2.0, reinforcing the government’s commitment to modernizing essential public services.

The new solid waste management complex houses two key components: an MRF system for segregating recyclable waste, paper, plastic, glass, and metal, and a “Waste to Compost” unit that converts organic waste into nutrient-rich compost.

Officials say the compost will support local agriculture by enhancing soil fertility and reducing farmers’ dependence on chemical fertilizers.

“These two projects will significantly help in directly reducing pollution,” Mallabaruah added, calling the facility a “paradigm shift” from conventional dumping to scientific waste processing.

Across India, several states have accelerated waste management reforms in recent months.

Earlier this year, Gujarat unveiled its largest Waste-to-Energy plant in Ahmedabad, capable of processing 3,000 tonnes of waste per day.

Meanwhile, Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram Corporation rolled out decentralized biogas units to tackle kitchen waste at household and ward levels.

At the national level, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs reported in October that over 95% of Indian cities under the Swachh Bharat Mission have now adopted door-to-door waste collection, though challenges persist in segregation and recycling rates.

Sivasagar’s latest initiative positions the district as a model for mid-sized municipalities aiming to transition to scientific, eco-friendly waste systems.

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