Nagpur still dumping 80% mixed garbage in Bhandewadi yard

NAGPUR: Even after appointing two new agencies — AG Enviro and BVG India — for door-to-door segregated garbage collection, the city’s dumping yard, Bhandewadi, is getting mixed garbage. Though the city generates 1100-1200 metric tonnes (MT) of garbage every day, only 20% of the segregated waste is being transported to the dumping yard.
Municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe on Wednesday stressed the need for scientific disposal of garbage at the Bhandewadi dumping yard. Mundhe also directed the solid waste management department to lift only segregated garbage.
The civic chief visited the Bhandewadi dumping yard in the morning and was accompanied by deputy director of solid waste management, Dr Pradeep Dasarwar, superintending engineer of the water works department, Shweta Banerjee and deputy engineer Rajesh Dupare.
Apart from getting to know the intricacies of waste management at the dump yard, Mundhe also took into account the method behind transportation of waste via weight.
Mundhe was appalled on seeing the mountain-like garbage heap at the yard. He was utterly disappointed to see mixed garbage being brought to the yard.
The NMC owns around 77 acres in Bhandewadi of which 52 acres is being used for dumping garbage, while 25 acres is for the sewage treatment plant. The dumping area is already full to capacity. While nearly 10 lakh MT of untreated garbage is lying in the yard, garbage in lakhs of MT have been gutted in fires.
Since the NMC had entrusted a private firm for door-to-door garbage collection, the city has generated over 40 lakh metric tonnes of garage in the last one decade and dumped it in the Bhandewadi yard.
At present, the city is generating 1100-1200 MT of garbage daily, but only 20% of segregated garbage is being transported to the dumping yard.
Mundhe directed the SWM department to ensure that the two agencies appointed for collecting door-to-door garbage daily should lift segregated garbage only. “Give residents three chances by imposing a fine and if they fail to handover segregate garbage, stop lifting it from their homes,” said Mundhe.
So far, the NMC has imposed fines amounting to Rs8 lakh on both the garbage lifting agencies — AG Enviro and BVG India — since they took over the operations from Kanak Resources Management Limited.
Mundhe has asked the SWM to ensure that both agencies transport only segregated garbage to the yard.
“Due to the unscientific disposal of garbage at the dumping yard, air pollution has increased manifold in this part of the city,” said Mundhe.
The municipal commissioner has given top priority to processing waste in a scientific manner. The NMC has already reclaimed 25 acres of land in the Bhandewadi dumping yard through bio-mining.