More solid waste is being segregated in the city compared to last year, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) annual Environment Status Report (ESR) for 2017-18.
While segregation has gone up to 65% from 53% in 2017, the amount of solid waste being disposed of scientifically continues to be only 32%.
The BMC’s ESR covers several indices of environment and development, like air and noise pollution, water contamination, health, power supply, roads and traffic, solid waste and sewage disposal. Each year, the report highlights challenges faced by each sector, pollution levels and steps taken by agencies.
The report says the Union Ministry of Urban Development’s (MoUD) benchmarks to monitor performance of municipal corporations in delivering services to citizens has set eight criteria for solid waste management (SWM). These include door-to-door collection, efficiency, redressing customer complaints, recovery of SWM charges, segregation, recovery, scientific disposal at landfill site and cost recovery. The MoUD has set targets for each criterion for civic bodies.
Civic officers credit BMC’s drive against bulk generators of garbage for the increase in segregation. Since last year, bulk generators have been facing action for not composting wet waste at source, and some are being prosecuted by the BMC.
The BMC has set its sights now on adding to its fleet of collection vans with wet and dry waste compartments, and set up more segregation centres. At these centres, NGO volunteers segregate waste before it is sent to the dumping grounds.
Vishwas Shankarwar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (SWM), said, “We achieved this due to consistent efforts and awareness campaigns and application of provisions of various Acts and rules in cases of non-compliance by waste generators.”
A civic official said more waste will be disposed of scientifically when the capacity of the BMC’s treatment plant at Kanjurmarg is increased. “At the Kanjurmarg site, almost 3,000 metric tonnes of waste is being scientifically processed. We need more land to increase its capacity.”
