Residents write to MCG over flawed waste management

Raise issue of open dumping, incorrect composting methods at Chakkarpur village

Several waste managements activists, Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) representatives and citizen volunteers have written to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) Commissioner expressing concern over “mixed waste disposal, open dumping and incorrect composting procedures” at the civic body’s waste management site at Chakkarpur village here.

‘Poor implementation’

The citizens, who gathered at the site on Sunday afternoon, pointed out that it was a very poor implementation of a decentralised model.

They said this underscored the need for a mandatory policy for waste segregation at source in compliance with the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016, promulgated by the Union Environment Ministry, and corresponding collection, transportation and storage of segregated waste, defining of decentralised SWM parameters for wet waste treatment and developing appropriate infrastructure for dry waste management.

In the letter to MCG Commissioner V. Umashankar, the citizens expressed concern over organic waste being mixed with dry waste like plastic and Styrofoam materials, unscientific waste management and putrid smell indicating incorrect composting procedures.

Service providers

Claiming to have seen many cattle and strays exposed to mixed waste, the activists suggested that open dumping should not be allowed.

They also demanded that the selection criteria for wet waste service providers be carefully examined by the MCG so that unsanitary conditions are not created and composting standards be established so that the end product — the compost — was of usable quality.

The citizens stated that Gurugram already had effective examples of waste segregation at source and composting on the site.

They have also extended an invite to Mr. Umashankar and MCG officials to visit these sites.

Local governance

The citizens were of the view that a decentralised solid waste management was the only eco-sustainable solution, especially for a rapidly urbanising city like Gurugram, and it required proper local governance and infrastructural support at the city level by the municipality.

Else, they said, “we have a situation where badly implemented decentralised sites might end up being mini-landfill sites leading to health hazards”.

The site was visited by waste expert and Clean Gurgaon founder Harish Capoor, citizen volunteer Ruchika Sethi Takkar, and RWA representatives Divya Devpriya, Priya Mehrish and Smita Ahuja.