Mayor M. Goutham Kumar’s proposed trips to China and Malaysia to find a solution to Bengaluru’s mixed waste problem has got experts seeing red, and has left Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials dismayed. Many feel that the visit is sending mixed signals to citizens on the civic body’s plans to tackle the city’s waste management problems. “The model adopted in China allows for the acceptance of mixed waste, which is incinerated,” said a senior civic official.
However, the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, mandates segregation of waste at source and decentralised processing. The National Green Tribunal and even the High Court of Karnataka have, time and again, reprimanded the civic body for continuing to depend on landfills and quarry pits for the disposal of mixed waste and failing to achieve 100% segregation of waste at source.
While refusing to comment on the Mayor's proposed visit, Subhash B. Adi, who heads the NGT's State chapter, reiterated that statutory rules on segregation and decentralised processing are mandatory.
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Sandya Narayanan, member of Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWMRT), pointed out that there already is an action plan that was prepared based on actual working solutions from across the city. The road map, which has also been drawn, can be achieved with budgetary allocation and clear political intention. “Centralised processing is not an option any more. Our plan, which focusses on segregation and decentralised processing, is far more progressive. The Mayor must engage with citizens who have been working on SWM for years. This will, hopefully, demystify his quest for solutions from outside,” she said.
BBMP officials, who spoke to The Hindu , said they had explained the merits of segregation and decentralised processing to the Mayor. A few councillors, including the Mayor, feel that incinerating mixed waste is a quick-fix solution, officials said adding that waste-to-energy plants come with their share of baggage.
“The BBMP is aiming for 100% segregation,” said an official.
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SWMRT member Savita Hiremath pointed out that city had made great strides in SWM over the past decade. “Why are we taking a step backwards now?”
Despite repeated attempts, Mr. Goutham Kumar was not available for comment.
MoU for WTE soon: BBMP
The government has given its clearance to set up five waste-to-energy (WTE) plants in the city . While work on the plants at Chikkanagamangala and Bidadi has already commenced, the BBMP is yet to sign MoUs with companies that will be setting up plants at Kannahalli and Doddabidarakallu. The MoUs, BBMP officials said, will be signed the next week.
The government had also recently approved a WTE plant to be set up at Mavallipura. “We are yet to receive the official communication from the government in this regard,” an official stated.
BBMP officials clarified that under the new garbage tenders, unsegregated waste would not be picked up from households. The WTE plants were mainly for the mixed waste that is dumped in black spots, and other kinds of road litter.