- Why in news
- On 31 January 2026, PIB published a explainer on Lakshya Zero Dumpsite, India's drive under the Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme to clear legacy dumpsites by October 2026.
- What it is
- The Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme (DRAP) is a Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs push under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0. It targets old accumulated municipal waste through biomining and reuse of the recovered material. It also aims to stop new dumpsites by processing all fresh waste.
- Launch and target
- DRAP was launched in November 2025 with the aim of Zero Dumpsites by October 2026.
- Biomining and RDF
- Biomining excavates and aerates old waste with bio-cultures, then screens it into fines, recyclables and combustibles. Refuse-Derived Fuel from the combustibles goes to cement plants and waste-to-energy units as a coal substitute.
Don’t confuse with Legacy dumpsite vs sanitary landfill: A dumpsite is open, unscientific disposal over years. A scientific landfill is an engineered site that takes only non-reusable rejects.
Don’t confuse with RDF vs C&D waste: RDF is the combustible, non-recyclable fraction used as fuel. C&D waste is demolition debris made into paver blocks, tiles, bricks and aggregates.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Cuts methane emissions, groundwater contamination, fires and health risks near dumpsites.
- Reclaimed land can serve waste infrastructure or green cover, and supports SDG 11, 12 and 13.
Problems
- Huge legacy load of about 25 crore tonnes, and daily urban waste keeps rising.
- Finding steady users for RDF and inert material, and keeping worker safety and city finances in check.
Way forward
- Process all fresh waste through segregation at source and processing plants so no new dumpsites form.
- Build demand through NHAI, PWD and cement-plant tie-ups, and bring waste pickers into the formal chain.
Put in your answer
Remediation progress: A cumulative 1,138 dumpsites have been fully remediated across 1,048 cities in 29 States.
- 2026Mains GS3 · Q17Challenges to solid waste management, policy framework, Delhi and Indore cases
- 2018Mains GS3 · Q6Impediments to disposing solid waste and removing toxic wastes
- 2019Prelims Q59Correct statement about Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 provisions
- 2026Prelims Q52Tribal opposition to waste facility land allocation near hamlet
- 2019Prelims Q78Where extended producer responsibility was first introduced in Indian rules
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting urban waste programme under Swachh Bharat Mission with figures (61%, 214 sites). Scheme questions are 52 of 327 in Prelims, but this has few distinct testable facts.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.