India is the third largest emitter of Methane in the world contributing 9% of total global emission and around 15% of India's methane emissions are from the waste sector.
- Other major sources of methane emissions include agriculture sector (enteric fermentation in livestock, manure management and rice production) and energy sector (use of fossil fuels, coal mines, and leakages from natural gas and oil production systems).
- Unlike agriculture or energy, which need complex long-term reforms, waste management allows quick emission reductions through targeted interventions.
Suggested interventions for managing methane emissions from waste
- Monitoring: Satellite monitoring uses regional-scale data to track broad methane trends and high-resolution data to pinpoint exact hotspots.
- In 2023, an ISRO satellite study identified major methane emitters at Pirana (Gujarat) and Deonar and Kanjurmarg (Maharashtra), Ghazipur (Delhi) etc.
- Strengthen Source Segregation (SBM–Urban & Gramin): Enforce segregation of wet, dry and hazardous waste at source to cut methane generation.
- Promote Waste-to-Energy & Bio-CNG (GOBARdhan): Expand biogas and Bio-CNG plants using wet waste to productively capture methane.
- Expand Scientific Landfills (Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016): Replace open dumps with engineered landfills having gas collection and leachate management systems.
- Identify Actions through Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs): Align Waste Policy with Climate Goals under India’s NDCs.
About Methane
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