The country’s cleanest city, Mysuru, has once again hogged national attention by setting an example in management of municipal solid waste.
Mysuru has been rated among the top three cities, with Alappuzha in Kerala and Panjim in Goa securing first and second places respectively, by a survey conducted by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based environmental policy, advocacy and research institution.
CSE surveyed 20 cities across the country for two years from 2014 based on how authorities handled solid wastes. The outcome of the survey was brought out as a book ‘Not in my backyard: Solid waste management in Indian cities’, which was released in New Delhi on Monday.
Solid waste management was a key factor for ‘Swachh Sarvekshan’ conducted under the Swachh Bharat Mission by the Centre.
C.G. Betsurmath, Commissioner, Mysore City Corporation (MCC), who received the certificate of appreciation from Union Minister for Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu on Monday, told The Hindu over phone that Mysuru had been rated as one of the best for adopting best practices in solid waste management. He gave a presentation on Tuesday on the steps adopted by MCC that led to this achievement.
A communication received by the MCC Commissioner from the CSE office said Mysuru, for its unique concept of zero waste management units; for encouraging segregation; for segregating dry waste and wet waste, and for trying to decentralise the process of waste management, stood out when it comes to other cities in the country that claim for a better waste management.
Swati Singh Sambyal, programme officer, Environmental Governance (Municipal Solid Waste), in the communication said: “We have been to some of the cleanest cities across the country and have rated them. The system for rating cities was to determine who is the cleanest of them all in terms of solid waste management. But, what is also clear is that sweeping cities clean is only half the solution. Seeing where the waste goes — or does not go, because it is recycled and reused — is what we need.”
She said the survey tracked these cities to understand what led to the big change and how a system of effective solid waste management had been set up. More points had been given to cities that focussed on segregation, processing and treatment, Ms. Sambyal added.
