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Resilient Economies and Landscapes & Action Area: Economies
India
01 September 2025 to 06 September 2025
Organizers: ICIMOD , NIUA
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in partnership with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) – Sanitation Capacity Building Platform (SCBP), India is organising a cross-learning visit on solid and liquid waste management for government officials and private sectors from Bhutan and Nepal. The visit will highlight simple affordable and innovative technologies, effective policy instruments, and decentralised operational models such as community engagement and public-private partnerships for solid and liquid waste management. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), India is also onboard to strengthen the cross-country knowledge exchange and enrich the learning experience with meaningful and practical demonstration of innovative solutions and best practices implemented in India. The visit aims to draw lessons from India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), and related initiatives to scale the adoption of good practices on waste management that contributes to circular economy and sustainable development across the countries.
The cross-learning visit is scheduled from 1-6 September 2025 with field visits to New Delhi and Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh.
The overall objective of the cross-learning visit is to make the participants acquainted with enabling policy environment in India while scaling the adoption of innovative technologies and decentralised inclusive models for effective solid and liquid waste management in Bhutan and Nepal.
The specific objectives are:
Human settlements in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region are shaped by the region’s unique geography and environment. These settlements vary greatly in cultural heritage, size, population, and the access to basic services ranging from small villages or hamlets to small towns and big cities. With rapid urbanisation, they are most vulnerable to severe impacts from climate and other socio-economic and environmental changes. The haphazard development, rapid population growth, and increasing tourism in many cities, emerging towns, and hills stations have led to mounting challenges in managing both solid and liquid waste due to inadequate infrastructure and a lack of functional mechanism.
The settlements in Bhutan, Indian Himalaya, and Nepal face distinct yet similar waste management challenges due to their unique geography and climate. Infrastructure often cannot keep pace with growing population and increasing tourism. Waste collection and disposal, along with septic and sewerage treatment, are more challenging and costly in high-altitude settlements and trekking routes compared to the plains often requiring significant investment.
The common practice for solid waste management in HKH region is still mostly open dumping and burning which leads to water source pollution and contributes to localised emissions. Similarly, for liquid waste, the lack of both centralised and decentralised sewage systems in many small settlements, emerging towns and cities often leads to direct discharge into rivers and streams.
Especially untreated sewage and greywater poses risks to freshwater system including contamination of ground water leading to public health issues. Therefore, to address these systemic challenges, a regional cross-country learning visit is felt necessary that supports knowledge exchange to strengthen policy enforcement and contextualise innovative solutions and technologies for wider adoption.
For further information please contact: Erica Udas (erica.udas@icimod.org) or Prasesh Pote Shrestha (prasesh.shrestha@icimod.org)
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