It is a year-long, targeted initiative under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 to achieve the goals of Lakshya Zero Dumpsites by September 2026.
- Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM-U) 2.0 was launched in 2021 to achieve Garbage Free Status for all cities. It also aims at remediation of all legacy dumpsites and converting them into green zones.
About DAMP
- Objective: Prioritize high-impact locations, covering approximately 8.8 crore MT of legacy waste.
- Legacy Waste refers to aged municipal solid waste in landfills or dumpsites, it is a mix of partially or completely decomposed biodegradable waste, plastic waste, etc.
- About 80% of the legacy waste is concentrated in 214 sites across 202 Urban Local Bodies.
- Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
- Eligibility: All States/UTs with ongoing legacy waste projects with priority to sites containing over 45,000 MT of legacy wastes.
- No minimum threshold for eligibility for UTs and North Eastern States.
Dumpsites and its Management in India
- Status: Currently, 1,428 sites are undergoing remediation (1,048 have been fully remediated).
- Major emissions of primary concern:
- Leachate: Polluted water that emerges at the base of dumpsite waste.
- Landfill Gas: Mixture of carbon dioxide and methane formed because of anaerobic conditions created in dumpsites during waste decomposition.
