Trashing India's cities
Aug 2, 2010
The Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2000 clearly define "segregation." Six years after they came into force, in 2004, hardly any city in India has been able to implement them. On the other hand, Municipal Corporations staggering under the weight of mountains of trash violate the law everyday. Decentralised composting, both traditional and mechanical, could be a way forward. But will politics and policy keep pace with science and technology?
Photo Gallery:A step towards cleaner Chennai Related:Plastic ban: constraints and challenges Columns:Waste can work for us Related:Still miles to go in solid waste management
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A series of pictures by The Hindu's photographer K. R Deepak show a fight for a kill between jackals. The photographs won the Special Category Award — Best Story Through Photograph — of Wild Clicks Live National photography contest organised by Nature Wanderers in Pench, Maharashtra, on April 24.
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"Wealth from waste", was a slogan coined by a few municipal corporations a few years back. But in Bangalore it seems waste is not only not creating any wealth it is only trashing the city roads more. On any given day open trucks used for transporting waste litter them right throughh the main highways of the city. What are the city fathers doing? BBMP, what are you doing? The problem is contractors who are engaged for waste removal couln't care less, as their fees are not based on the quantum removed.
Political will is what is lacking. Take the case of Andhra Pradesh. Power generation from solid waste was started few years back in Hyderabad. The power producer was made to pay for waste (they call royalty) and now GHMC threatens not give them waste as they are not paying for it. Municipal Governments should look at a overall picture, probably transport the waste to such a plant free of cost and buy back power from them at right price. It would be cheaper than buying power from Transcos/Discoms.