SC flags uneven compliance with SWM Rules

ISSUES PAN-INDIA DIRECTIONS

- OUR CORRESPONDENT

Flagging the "uneven" compliance with the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules across India, the Supreme Court has said the present generation cannot afford to wait for further legislative refinement while existing implementation gaps persist.

Observing that the right to a clean and healthy environment is an "inseparable part" of the right to life, the court issued a slew of pan-India directions to ensure that the executive has the requisite mechanism required to enforce the SWM Rules, 2026, which will be effective from April 1.

A bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and S V N Bhatti said neglecting municipal solid waste will affect health as much as the economy and India must be fully-compliant with the 2026 Rules when the world looks at the country in technology-related activities.

"Compliance of MSW/SWM Rules meant to govern waste management remains uneven across India. While mandated at source, the segregation at source into wet, dry and hazardous streams is still not fully realised in many urban and rural areas," the bench said in its February 19 order.

It said massive dump sites remain active in metropolitan areas, though bio-remediation efforts have been initiated under the latest mandates.

The court passed the order while hearing two appeals arising from two separate National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders concerning environmental compliances by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation under the SWM Rules, 2016.

"It is now or never. Expecting high results without fundamental spadework of source segregation and infrastructure would be unreasonable.

Every stakeholder is duty-bound to ensure the realisation of a waste-free India," the bench said.