Dibrugarh, June 19: Assam on Friday took a major step towards modern waste management with the inauguration of the Northeast’s first Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF) at Lekai in Dibrugarh, a project expected to transform the handling of municipal, industrial and biomedical waste across the region.
The Rs 25-crore facility was inaugurated by Dibrugarh MLA Prasanta Phukan under the Assam Waste Management Project.
Officials said the plant, the first of its kind in the Northeast, has the capacity to process more than 1,000 metric tonnes of waste per day and will cater not only to Dibrugarh but also neighbouring urban centres such as Duliajan and Chabua, creating an integrated regional waste management network.
The facility will also process industrial waste generated in Duliajan and Naharkatia, in addition to biomedical and other categories of waste, helping address long-standing environmental compliance and disposal challenges.
Calling the project a milestone for the region, Phukan said the facility would play a key role in Dibrugarh’s emergence as a modern urban centre.
“This facility marks a new chapter in Dibrugarh’s journey towards becoming a model city. As Dibrugarh is being projected as Assam’s second capital, it is only fitting that we set the highest standards in urban infrastructure, and waste management is a critical part of that vision,” he said.
The inauguration was attended by District Commissioner Bikram Kairi, Pollution Control Board Chairman Arup Kumar Mishra, Member Secretary Mousumi Bardalai and Dibrugarh Municipal Corporation Commissioner-in-Charge Navas Das, among other officials.
The launch comes amid the Assam government’s broader push to develop Dibrugarh as the state’s second capital, with significant investments being made in civic infrastructure, urban services and environmental sustainability.
Officials said the facility is expected to substantially reduce unmanaged waste, improve scientific disposal practices and minimise environmental degradation in Upper Assam.
According to Dibrugarh Municipal Corporation authorities, the plant will function in coordination with local urban bodies to ensure efficient collection, transportation and processing of waste from the covered towns.
Describing the project as a regional game-changer, an official said the facility was established to address the growing challenge of industrial and biomedical waste management and could eventually cater to waste generated across Assam.
“This is the first facility of its kind in the entire Northeast. It has been set up to solve environmental compliance issues and strengthen the government’s solid waste management programme,” the official said.
The commissioning of the plant is expected to bolster Assam’s efforts towards sustainable urban development while setting a benchmark for scientific waste management in the Northeast.
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