Port Blair, Feb 17: The Urban Development Department, A&N Administration, Port Blair Municipal Council (PBMC) and Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH India on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate and cooperate on achieving the objectives of prevention of plastics and other non-biodegradable litter in the Marine and water bodies of the state during a virtual event held in Port Blair on Feb.14, 2022. Two GIZ-supported urban projects titled ‘Cities Combatting Plastic Entering the Marine Environment’ and ‘Management of organic waste in India’ will be part of this memorandum.
These projects are envisaged under the contours of the Implementation Agreement signed between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India and Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH India in April, 2021, regarding cooperation in the field of ‘Prevention of Marine Litter’. The ‘Cities Combatting Plastic Entering the Marine Environment’ project is aimed at enhancing practices to prevent plastic entering the marine environment, will be undertaken at the national level with MoHUA as implementing partner, in partnership with selected States of Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Union Territory) and their respective cities of Kanpur, Kochi and Port Blair for a period of three and a half years.
The project ‘Cities Combating Plastic Entering the Marine Environment’ (CCPME) would work with Andaman & Nicobar Union Territory Administration (UT) for prevention of marine litter, that is plastic and non-biodegradable waste, entering the water system and Indian Ocean which is the source of life to the people of A&N as well as for the biodiversity of the region.
Marine litter threatens ecosystems and adversely affects fishery and tourism industries around the globe. In addition to negative economic impact, it affects public health with increased concerns about micro-plastic and risk of particles entering the food chain. In recent times, the level of plastic waste that has accumulated in our oceans and marine ecosystem through the increasing production. The indiscriminate use of durable synthetic materials has alarmed the public and policy makers alike. It is estimated that 15-20% of all plastics are entering oceans via riverine ecosystems of which 90% are contributed by 10 of the world’s most polluting rivers. Currently accurate data on plastic waste and marine litter is largely unavailable for most parts of the country and states, yet the magnitude of the issue cannot be ignored.
This project will support implementation of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 with special focus on preventing non- biodegradable waste, especially plastic litter entering the ocean and water bodies at source. To this end, as part of the CCPME project, cities will be enabled to improve collection, segregation and marketing of non-biodegradable waste (particularly plastic waste), leading to prevention of plastic disposal into water bodies. This will be combined with data management and reporting systems, awareness generation and increased cooperation with recyclers and the recycling industry through a digital platform. It is expected to foster improvements in management of waste in municipalities, thereby establishing an efficient system, ensuring no waste finds its way into oceans. For next 3 and half years, GIZ will support PBMC in implementing these initiatives across the city of Port Blair. Awareness generation, clean-up drives, improved MRFs and better monitoring and reporting system will help PBMC clean the city more efficiently and ensure no plastic waste is disposed in its water bodies.
Along with better management of plastic waste and preventing them from entering water bodies; improved measures for management of organic waste will also be addressed by the GIZ’s other project Management of Organic Waste in India. This project will work for sustainable management of organic waste as an accompanying measure to the CCP-ME project in the State and in the city of Port Blair. In this manner, the measures from both projects will contribute to the development of a circular economy and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
