Mumbai: BMC tries to improve effort to manage waste, critics remain wary

All manpower will be used to clean up city, says BMC

After a fall in rank in cleaning at the national level, the BMC is trying hard to improve its solid waste management through methods like deep cleaning, waste segregation at the source, cleaning toilets five times a day, and even sending officers to Indore to study the city's successful methods. But activists are sceptical as most of these approaches have already been tried.

The BMC initiated a deep cleaning drive two months ago, but it achieved limited success at the zonal level, following which the corporation turned to a micro-level plan, with 24 locations selected that would be cleaned every weekend. In a meeting held last week by the commissioner IS Chahal, all assistant commissioners were instructed to meet every Monday to plan a deep cleaning drive in their wards. Chahal also directed them to prepare an action plan on the basis of additional manpower, participation of local public representatives, school and college students, celebrities and NGOs. He added that engineers of all departments, including transport, sewerage and stormwater drainage, should participate voluntarily.

The civic body also planned another initiative to increase public participation in wet and dry waste segregation at the source. The city generates around 6,500 tonnes of garbage daily. "Segregation of 1,000 tonnes of waste collected from residential societies is a major challenge faced by the solid waste management department. That is why the BMC intends to increase public participation and organisations will be appointed for public awareness," said Sudhakar Shinde.

Though the BMC announced these plans, activists are sceptical. Jitendra Gupta, an activist from the eastern suburbs, said, "If waste segregation only happens in housing societies and not chawls and slums, it won't be successful. The only solution is covering nallas to prevent dumping. Unless this is done, nothing else will be effective." Advocate Godfrey Pimenta said, "Nothing works. The best thing to do is either teach civic sense to Mumbaikars or impose stiff fines like Singapore does, so that participation becomes voluntary."