Irregular door-to-door collection, roads and vacant spots turned into black spots, garbage collection point made into dumping sites, pourakarmikas forced to handle unsegregated waste without any safety gears: there is clearly a mismanagement of waste management in the city. With the city generating 4,000 tonnes of waste everyday, the problem looks like an insurmounbtable one.
Our panellists will talk about what can and should be done to tackle the issue and how citizens can be a part of the change
Venkatesh: Contract system in waste management must be scrapped by corpn & having civic workers on permanent roles of corpn can help in efficient mgmt of garbage..
N.S. Ramakanth: I am in favour of improving the conditions of pourakarmikas. But abolishing the contract system completely will not solve the problem. We must give all facilities, including, protective equipment, salary, festival holidays... all facilities extended to permanent workers. Only making them permanent may not solve the problem.
Venkatesh: Agree with Ramakanth sir on facilities to civic workers..
Gauri: How can segregation be properly implemented? How do we get everyone to practice it?
N.S. Ramakanth: From the time of the notification of segregation of waste, all zonal volunteers are trying their best to give awareness, inlcuding the pourakarmikas. Main problem with us is collection efficiency is poor. In the new contract/ tender, we had blocked all the loopholes so that collection efficiency is the maximum. But unfortunately, the new tender contract, there are no takers as contractors are not coming forward.
Lalitha Mondreti: Firstly, awareness among citizens needs to be created using various mediums such as electronic/social media.Secondly collection and transportation needs to be efficient enough to collect segregated waste on a daily basis.
Smita Kulkarni: This has worked in HSR. Work at ward level to identify destinations for each type of waste, awareness to citizens, streamlining Collection and Transportation, enforcement in terms of penalties etc
Shiva S: I feel many garbage piles come up because of the lack of dustbins. Why doesn’t BBMP install dustbins in residential areas and busy commercial streets? If we miss the door-to-door collection, we can always put them in these dustbins.
Smita Kulkarni: Dustbins provide visual cleanliness, but someone else ends up segregating the waste. In Bangalore we are doing the 'right thing' by insisting on segregation at source.
N.S. Ramakanth: Before the door to door collection was introduced in Bangalore, we had dustbins in all corners. People were throwing the garbage all around the dustbin, except inside. And the dustbin in front of thehouse was a real nuisance. No resident would want a dustbin in front of their house. So, the then govt decided to make Bangalore bin-less and introduced door to door system. As you have suggested, we can have bins in commercial areas for the floating population. In residential areas, we must not encourage bins as the segregation of waste at source will completely fail. Whoever do not want to segregate at source will throw it in the bins to get rid of the waste.
Prakash: Is collecting fine from residents a good way to get them to segregate?
Smita Kulkarni: Should not be a first step, but is an essential step to ensure compliance to segregation.
N.S. Ramakanth: The collection of fines from residents is not being done because of the officials. Now, the BBMP has decided to employ one or two ex-servicemen per ward with uniform to exclusively fine the violators. We are only expecting the final order from the govt regarding the recruitment.
Lalitha Mondreti: Enforcement plays a key role to make people understand the seriousness of the rules.
Manju: Why do BBMP workers themselves dump garbage in a spot by the road? Trucks come to clean the garbage and this creates traffic problems. Even then, it is not properly cleared. Smell is unbearable. Plus there is always bits of garbage remaining on pavements and a liquid that mixes with rain water.
Smita Kulkarni: That must be a transfer point. Nobody wants transfer point near their home, so they end up doing that on the road. Work with local ward officials to identify a space that can be enclosed and can work as transfer point.
N.S. Ramakanth: Now, the BBMP policy is NGOG - No Garbage on Ground. But unfortunately the officials are not enforcing it and also one main problem is that BBMP is short of officials. In 198 wards, there is shortage of 80 junior health inspectors. Many of the Assistant Engineers who are supposed to look after solid waste management are engaged in different activities like estimate preparation, attending courts, answering RTI questions. That is the reason two years ago, the expert committee on SWM had recommended an exclusive SWM Cell, who could be held accountable and responsible for SWM with qualified environment engineers to look after only SWM activities. But this has still now not happened.
Venkatesh: But Ramakanth sir without removal of Contract system from Corpn especially on Garbage collection & Street Sweeping works, i dont think this menace of garbage will come down simply bcoz there is Garbage mafia is doing this to bent to their whims who are none other than those who are involved in contracts with the corpn..
N.S. Ramakanth: I completely agree with your opinion. But the day we break the mafia, we have won the war on garbage. Now, we hae suggested workers' cooperatives from the existing pourakarmikas to manage the door to door collection and street sweeping. this suggestion is still in the pipeline.
Lalitha Mondreti: Agree, as there is no accountability in the current contract system,the whole C&T has come to a halt. https://youtu.be/cknVi40aNqc
Concerned citizen: What about segregated garbage that is aggregated by pourakarmikas?
N.S. Ramakanth: Reason for this is the high value segregated waste like milk satchets, water bottles and metal cans are never mixed. This is because there is value attached to it. Only low grade plastic and multi-layered plastic are mixed with wet waste, burnt on road corners or thrown in the drains as they do not have any value. That is why we are insisting Dry Waste Collection Centre personnel to accept even low grade plastic waste. Also, becuase of this we introduced the plastic ban, so that low grade plastic such as carry bags and kurkure packets are avoided. This also lack of enforcement is the key for not achieving the full goal. Wherever this is done, we have found that 15 to 20% of dry waste has come down.
Concerned citizen: In many areas, those who collect garbage dump it in vacant spots and at times even burn them... how to tackle this?
N.S. Ramakanth: For this, ideal is to install at key points CCTV cameras and some citizens only should monitor it and inform the oficials to take action. Finally, participatory governance, cooperating with BBMP officials is the only way out for the city;'s garbage problem. all these years we have been complaining and complaining with no improvment in the situation.
Lalitha Mondreti: 1.Register a complaint on BBMP Sahaya. 2.Initiate a donate dry waste program in your neighbourhood. 3.Compost your organic waste at home.For more details look at www.swachagraha.in .
Smita Kulkarni: On PKs mixing waste, dumping in vacant sites, burning etc. : It is a fact and happening in many areas because of the collection process being broken. Would urge you to report this to the ward Health Inspector.
Ridhi: Will waste-to-engery plant help? How will this work?
N.S. Ramakanth: Waste to energy plant of mixed waste will not be successful for our Indian waste. Many plants have come up in India. More than 90% have failed because of the waste characteristics. The only way is to segregate the waste, convert the wet waste to either biogas or compost and the RDF can be used to converting to energy. Not mixed waste.
Manjula Sheshari: How to stop people from burning garbage? Even pourakarmikas burn garbage. If garbage does not pile up, there is no opportunity to burn the waste
Lalitha Mondreti: The majority of waste being burnt is low value waste or mixed. zTo tackle this issue, many neighbourhoods initiated a "Donate dry waste program" and started composting. This will take care of 90% your waste.
N.S. Ramakanth: This is a task which all of us are thinking hard about. Commissioner has issued various circulars on this. But always the officials say they are not able to catch the culprit. The only way is to have CCTV cameras to monitor and catch the culprits and heavily punish them.
Smita Kulkarni: I agree with you Manjula. If mixed waste does not pile up, there is no need to burn. To fix burning garbage, need to fix the root cause. Segregation is not happening. Get in touch with local ward officials, form a volunteer team and fix segregation in that area.
The Hindu: Why is there no crack drown on bulk garbage generators?
Smita Kulkarni: Excellent point. KSPCB has issued notices to a few apartments. BBMP have inspected and penalized a few apts and many commercials. But the numbers are far few and in between.
N.S. Ramakanth: There is a crackdown and various circulars have been issued by the commissioner. But again, the officials and contractor mafia is working against this. this has to be pointed out by the volunteers to the higher up so that action can be taken.
Lalitha Mondreti: To add to the suggestions below, ward wise list of em panelled service providers should be publicised to bulk generators.
Manish Kulkarni: Can we introduce a BBMP fixed amount to pourakarmikas to the tune of Rs100 a month or so to encourage more rag pickers and civic workers rather than contractors? it becomes an incentive for pourakarmikas to go house to house. The fee can be cut if they miss houses on days.
Lalitha Mondreti: Completely agre - A user-fee model will be far more effective.
N.S. Ramakanth: I disagree with the fixed amount. But an incentive can be fixed to pourakarmikas who are collecting efficiently the segregated waste - dry, wet and sanitary. The other way round, we should start penalising residents who are giving mixed waste and if possible, the mixed waste should be spread in front of their own house so that next time, they will segregate it. This was done in HSR Layout successfully.
Priya: Is there a need for more awareness among residents?
Smita Kulkarni: Like Ramakanth Sir says, enough awareness has been given, this is the year of enforcement!
N.S. Ramakanth: I agree. There is a need but those who are not segregating are mostly educated people. The only way the residents will become aware if they are fined as per the court order. Eg is like traffic, if you don;t wear a seat belt/ helmet, you are fined. The next time, you will remember for sure.
Smita Kulkarni: Totally agree with Ramakanth Sir. The level of segregation have increased and number of black spots have reduced in areas of participatory governance. It will also connect you with the local team and enable you to be a cause in the matter!
Soumya: The roads, pavements have been turned into dumping ground. So much so that there is hardly any place to walk or drive. Why isn't anything being done about this?
N.S. Ramakanth: This all the result of lack of enforcement. Please inform the concerned ward official and if immediate action is not taken, inform the higher officials.
Smita Kulkarni: Soumya, the problem of solid waste management is so gigantic that BBMP alone is not able to handle it. All of us need to pitch in. There is no destination for mixed waste, hence it lands up on our roads, lakes and vacant sites.
Smita Kulkarni: Do work with BBMP Health inspector of your ward to implement segregation in the neighbourhood
Lalitha Mondreti: Unless we have a robust collection and transportation, we will continue to witness the wrath of these dumps!
Anjali: We need to channelise the process. We don't even have a basic waste segregater. this facility should be mandatory at household level. I have seen this in hospitals, but at home level it is not even informed.
N.S. Ramakanth: Total waste produced in the house is around 1.2 to 1.3 kg. Of this, about 60 to 70% is wet waste. For segregation of that much quantity, you don;t need a mechanical segregator. One thing you should know is that the human brain is the best segregator. machines may fail. and if one cannot segregate 1.5 kg at home, how cam you expect BBMP to segregate 4000 tonnes of waste. This is the quantum of waste produced in Bangalore daily.
Anil: Door-to-door collection is not happening in so many parts of the city. Is this not the main reason for garbage being thrown on roads?
N.S. Ramakanth: As a responsible citizen, my advice is to segregate the waste and wet waste will be hardly 500 to 600 gm. This easily by adding some microbes can be preserved for 7-8 days, without flies or smell. For more details, log on to www.swachagraha.in
Marthand: Why is waste going to landfills? is the recycling or composting of waste good in the city? What happened to grand plans of making waste to energy plants? I do not think it is eco-friendly to burn waste to generate small amounts of power. Instead, focus should be on recycling 80 per cent of waste, even whatever plastic is there should be recycled.
Smita Kulkarni: Only mixed waste is going to landfills. segregated waste has a good number of destinations in the city for recycling/composting/bio-gas
Lalitha Mondreti: Bangalore is the first city to have 188 dry waste collection centres and multiple destinations for organic waste.
Ramani N V: Hello from Sweden - I live in a place on earth where garbage collection and its usage is a profitable business. The place I live in gets electricity only by processing waste
Gaurav: In each locality there should be two drums each separately wet and solid wastes. and timely collection by safaiwala
N.S. Ramakanth: we have already mentioned that wet and dry bins are to be placed in commercial areas where the floating popuklation is high. however, as you have suggested, economically lower sections or slums, we can think of keepng 2 separate bins, manned by a pourakarmika so that waste is not mixed. This we call as manned kiosk.
Smita Kulkarni: If you keep unmanned bins, they will eventually be mixed. We have door-to-door collection to ensure each household gives segregated waste - 1. wet waste: compostable kitchen waste (without any plastic) 2. dry waste: recyclables 3. reject waste: sanitary waste
N.S. Ramakanth: "Think before you throw" and "Our waste is our responsibility". If we follow these two mantras, we will really achieve a clean Bangalore city.
Smita Kulkarni: We are working with BBMP to ensure cleanliness the right way and not just visual. I would urge everyone to work with BBMP rather than complain against them. Let 'participatory govenrance' lead us to a swach bengaluru
