Yogi Government to Build India’s First Integrated Waste Management City in Gorakhpur

Gorakhpur, April 24 – In a major step towards sustainable urban management, the Yogi Adityanath government is developing India’s first Integrated Waste Management City in Gorakhpur. Aimed at turning waste into a resource, the city will serve as a national model for waste management. The ambitious project is being implemented by the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation under the direct guidance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

In the first phase, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) will produce torrefied charcoal (a green alternative to coal) from solid domestic waste. This follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the NTPC and the Municipal Corporation. The plant is being set up in Suthani village, Sahjanwa, on a 40-acre plot. Trial runs of the machinery have already begun.

The waste-to-charcoal plant, with a processing capacity of 500 tonnes per day, is only the second of its kind in India—the first was established in Varanasi. For this initiative, 15 acres of land within the Integrated Waste Management City have been allocated to NTPC. The corporation has invested ₹255 crore in the project. The MoU between NTPC and the municipal body was signed on October 15, 2023, in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Phase one of the plant is now nearly complete.

Municipal Commissioner Gaurav Singh Sogarwal stated that the NTPC facility in Suthani will soon become operational. The municipal corporation will be responsible for providing the necessary waste to the plant, which won’t be an issue given that Gorakhpur city alone generates around 500 tonnes of waste daily. Of this, about 200 tonnes of wet waste will be processed in a proposed bio-CNG plant, while the remaining dry waste will be sent to the charcoal plant.

Additionally, municipal and town councils from nearby areas—such as Khalilabad, Sahjanwa, Ghanghsera, Unwal, Maghar, and Bansgaon—will also supply waste to the facility. The charcoal produced will be used by NTPC in its power plants, reducing the need for large storage spaces. Over the next 25 years, this initiative is expected to save the Municipal Corporation around ₹650 crore in tipping and maintenance costs.

In another development, the corporation has started civil work to set up a separate hazardous domestic waste disposal plant with a capacity of 5 tonnes per day. Moreover, a 10-acre section of the waste management city has been reserved for the bio-CNG plant, where liquid waste will also be processed. This marks a major leap toward a circular and sustainable economy.

Global Recognition

The Gorakhpur model has already earned international recognition. Earlier this month, a presentation on the Integrated Waste Management City was made in Berlin, Germany, during a high-level global meeting on the circular economy. Gorakhpur Municipal Commissioner Gaurav Singh Sogarwal represented India at the event, where the initiative received praise for its innovative and integrated approach to waste management.

With this initiative, Gorakhpur is poised to become not just a cleaner city, but a global benchmark in environmental sustainability.