Indian Express 24.08.2009
Garbage segregation yet to catch speed
The row over garbage disposal that had reached a crescendo three months ago has been buried, at least for the time being, with the focus shifting on swine flu that has claimed 20 lives in the city.
The issue of segregation of garbage that had earlier taken centrestage remains unresolved and though the Pune Municipal Corporation claims to have started collecting 325 tonne segregated garbage every day, much of it is still being dumped without being separated.
The garbage row was started when residents of Uruli Devachi and Phursungi, who had been been demanding an end to the unscientific way of dumping garbage at the depot near these villages, took up cudgels against the PMC and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and prevented garbage trucks from entering the site. Matters came to such a head that unlifted garbage started littering the streets of the city forcing the district administration and the PMC to wake up. A seven-month deadline was then set to find an alternative site for the waste.
It was decided to segregate the waste, too. “With the help of ghantagadis, we have been segregating 325 tonne of waste daily. This includes about 175 tonne organic waste from restaurants and hotels. A portion of this organic waste has also been going to farmlands at the PMC’s expense,” said Suresh Jagtap, PMC deputy commissioner. However, he added that the segregated portion ultimately gets mixed at the dumping site. Things have turned worse after the central government last month slapped a notice on Selco International asking it to stop its garbage processing unit for the time being.
“Even though swine flu has taken centrestage and the civic medical department is at the moment focussing on containing it, the issue of garbage management will rear its head again after three months. The civic body cannot afford to ignore it,” Jagtap said, adding that the segregation of garbage is not being done properly now.
If Pune city is struggling to manage its garbage, Pimpri-Chinchwad has been found wanting. But the civic body promises that by December, the township would have an effective system for segregating and disposing of wet and dry garbage. PCMC is also constructing a mechanical composting and vermi-composting facility, a scientific landfill at a cost of Rs 60 crore with funds under JNNURM. “Every day, 500 tonne garbage is generated. It is dumped at the yard at Moshi. There is no use segregating bio-degradable and non-bio-degradable garbage as they are dumped together at the yard,” Municipal Commissioner Asheesh Sharma said. He said the mechanical composting plant (MCP) would be commissioned by December.
The machine would segregate 500 tonne of combustible and non-combustible garbage every day. The combustible garbage would be shred and burnt to make refuse-derived fuel (RDF), which would be used for generating electricity. Civic body health chief Nagkumar Kunachgi said that PCMC collects vegetable waste from 600 hotels and eight vegetable markets. When fully commissioned, the vermicompost plant would generate 1,500 tonne compost every year.
“We have 24 compactors and trucks to lift garbage from 17,000 dustbins in the city. Around 80 routes have been assigned to various trucks. We have installed satellite navigation facility at PCMC, which has real-time connectivity with each truck. So, if a truck driver fails to pick up garbage, the PCMC office gets to know. This has led to an improvement in the garbage disposal system,” said Sharma.
Activists like Manav Kamble feel that the PCMC should use garbage for generating electricity and bio-gas. Other activists say the new initiative would help conserve the environment.
