The Hindu  01.10.2010

Alemao: we will solve solid waste management problem by March

Special Correspondent

Governor chairs meet to review steps taken by Government

PANAJI: The Goa Government assured Governor S.S. Sidhu on Wednesday that the problem of solid waste management in urban areas would largely be solved by March 2011 when garbage treatment plants of 12 of the 14 municipalities would be commissioned.

Minister for Urban Development Joaquim Alemao gave this assurance at a high-level meeting chaired by Mr. Sidhu to review the steps taken by the Government and local bodies to tackle the issue of solid waste management.

The meeting held at the Raj Bhavan was attended by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat some of his Cabinet colleagues, Secretaries of deparatments and other senior officers of the State.

The Governor suggested institution of awards as incentives to village panchayats to encourage them to deal with garbage problem in their respective areas.

The Chief Minister, while listing the steps taken by the Government to solve the problem, said that about seven acres of land had been acquired at Dona Paula on the outskirts of the city to set up a garbage treatment plant.

On tackling the garbage problem in villages, it was informed that of the total 189 village panchayats in Goa, 169 had identified sites for setting up garbage treatment plants. Of these, 71 proposals were cleared by the Goa State Pollution Control Board while administrative nod was given to 15 proposals.

It was also said that the main hurdle to acquire land at the panchayat level was gram sabhas which were opposing land acquisition on one pretext or the other.

The Governor has been for long consistently monitoring the garbage disposal problem of the State “not only to ensure health and hygiene of the local people but also to present a proper image before the world considering the fact the coastal State was promoting tourism on a large scale.”

The Times of India  30.09.2010

BANGALORE: This survey has a lot to say about Bangaloreans. 86% of the participants said they have never thrown garbage on the road, but 65% have claimed to have seen others doing it. Less than 25% segregate waste before disposing. And in a day, a whopping 3,500 tonnes of waste is generated in the city.

All this and more is revealed by a survey conducted by Biodiversity Conservation India Pvt Ltd (BCIL) among 400 respondents in Bangalore in the age group of 21 to 50 years, all of whose monthly household income is Rs 20,000 and above.

Bangalore produces around 35 lakh kilos of waste, of which 70% is wet waste that can be treated. Around 1,500 dump trucks are employed to collect wastes from 1.5 lakh houses, and they use around 25 million litres of diesel with costs translating into nearly Rs 300 crore annually.

Around 51% of the families generate at least 1kg waste everyday. Only 67% are ready to keep it at home for a day or treat it, while a small 23% segregate the waste. However, 48% of them are willing to treat it at home if help is offered. Most of them are ready to pay even upto Rs 101 for disposal.

This is despite the fact that a majority of them are aware of problems that can be caused due to improper waste disposal. However, there are only a few who know what happens to the waste once it leaves their homes. At least 44% of the respondents think it is treated at waste treatment plants, which is wrong. But, 89% said they were happy with the waste disposal system.

Highlighting the social benefits of waste management Chandrasekhar Hariharan, CEO, BCIL, said, "For developing countries, recycling of waste is the most economically viable option available both in terms of employment generation for the urban poor with no skills and investment. India's 35 largest cities alone can provide 5.7 million tonnes a year of organic manure if their biodegradable waste is composted and returned to the soil."

This is the fourth of the series of surveys conducted by BCIL. In their earlier surveys, they had revealed that around 30% Bangaloreans were firm that they would not use the Metro even after it's ready.