RWAs welcome NDMC ban on collection of non-segregated waste

An apex body of RWAs in Delhi on Wednesday welcomed the move by the NDMC to collect only segregated waste from households from November 1, even as it asked the civic body to put in public domain its plan on treatment of garbage after collection.

Atul Goyal, the president of the United Residents Joint Action (URJA), which has nearly 3,000 resident welfare associations as its members, claimed that there was a ''trust deficit'' between the municipal corporations and the RWAs, and appealed to them to make these associations a ''partner in the process'' of waste management.

Starting November 1, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation would only collect segregated waste from households and shopping establishments, among other places, and ''red stickers'' would be put up on the premises of regular defaulters, officials said.

Municipal Commissioner Sanjay Goel has issued the directions after holding a review meeting with officials and concessionaires on the progress of compliance of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, they said on Wednesday.

The concessionaires or the companies engaged by the NDMC, have been directed to impose a complete ban on collection of non-segregated waste from November 1. Further concessionaires have been directed to deploy staff at dhalaos (garbage dumps) to prevent the public from dumping non-segregated waste, officials said.

During the review meeting held on Monday, Goel has said that that the NDMC would collect only segregated waste from households, shopping establishments, etc, to achieve the target of 100 per cent segregation at source.

During the meeting, officials of DEMS (Department of Environment Management Services), all deputy commissioners and other senior officials were also present.

The present status of implementation of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016 and further strategies to achieve the target of complete segregation of waste at source, were discussed.

The commissioner also directed officials to organise public awareness campaigns, along with RWAs and market associations, to educate the public about the benefits of waste segregation and its positive impacts on the society.

URJA's Goyal welcomed the move and said, as solid waste management is one of the main issues that Delhi faces today.

''However, there are some issues. The corporation never approaches us (RWAs) in a way to make us a partner in the process, but just for raising awareness. And, that has created a trust deficit between the two sides,'' he alleged.

And, to address this trust deficit, the corporations, NDMC or anyone else, if they have a plan on waste management or composting plan at least for organic waste, they should share it with the RWAs, Goyal said.

''I heard a pilot was run on this initiative, before the full-fledged implementation planned from November 1, but as far as segregation at source was concerned, they could achieve only about 40 per cent,'' he claimed.

Goyal resides in Karol Bagh, which falls under the jurisdiction of NDMC.

''RWAs will have to me made a partner if we wish to successfully execute this plan,'' he said.

Municipal Commissioner Goel has also directed the officials to ensure that all segregated waste be transported separately in different coloured – green and blue bins – for wet and dry waste respectively, up to the processing facilities, by the concessionaires.

Officials have been directed to hold regular meetings with RWAs, market associations, bulk waste generators in respect of waste segregation at source, the NDMC said.

Goel also directed officials to prepare area-specific strategies, including for slums and other settlements, commercial institutions and other non-residential premises for segregation of waste at source.

NDMC has six zones spanning 108 wards, and includes some of the most densely populated areas of Delhi, like Chandni Chowk, Chawri Bazaar, Paharganj, Uttam Nagar, Karol Bagh and Azadpur.

East Delhi Municipal Corporation is also planning a similar move, but its mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal on Wednesday said, ''we are already running awareness programmes on waste segregation at source, but final decision has not been taken on the ban yet''.

On Tuesday, the EDMC in association with US Environmental Protection Agency, as part of its Global Methane Initiative (GMI), along with TERI, organised a training-cum-awareness programme on waste management for bulk waste generators at the corporation's headquarters.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)