Mumbai: 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. However, while waste segregation went up by 12 per cent, to 65 percent this year from 53 per cent in 2017, the amount of solid waste being disposed of remains 32 per cent.
The ESR covers several factors related to environment and development, such as 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, which monitors the performance of municipal corporations for services to citizens, has set eight criteria for solid waste management (SWM). These include door-to-door collection, efficiency, redressal of customer complaints, recovery of SWM charges, segregation, recovery, scientific disposal at a landfill site and cost recovery.
Civic officers credit the constant campaigning against bulk generators of garbage for increase in segregation. Since last year, bulk generators have been facing action for not composting wet waste at source. Vishwas Shankarwar, deputy Municipal Commissioner (SWM), said, “We achieved this due to consistent efforts and awareness drives and application of provisions of various Acts and rules in cases of non-compliance by waste generators.”
The BMC has now set its sights on adding to its fleet vans with wet and dry waste compartments and setting up more segregation centres. At these centres, NGO volunteers segregate waste before it is sent to the dumping grounds. Another civic official from the SWM department said more waste will be disposed of when the capacity of the civic body’s waste treatment plant at Kanjurmarg is increased. “At the Kanjurmarg site, almost 3,000 metric tonnes of waste are being scientifically processed. We need more land to increase its capacity.”