BMC’s 2015 affidavit had estimated waste generation to go up to 15,000 mt by 2019: Dumping grounds see drop in quantity of waste

According to solid waste management department officials, while the average of the city’s waste was around 8,800 metric tonnes until last year, the figure is no longer rising. “We have a real time system which records the quantity of waste going to the dumping grounds. We have noted that the figures of the past four months have been dropping steadily. We are hoping that this number will continue to drop further in the coming months,” said Vijay Balamwar, deputy municipal commissioner of the SWM department.

Another official stated the waste being sent to the dumping ground mainly comprises food waste as well as garbage collected from sweeping of roads. “The quantity of waste usually drops a little in summer due to the decreased water content in the waste. However, the segregation of waste as well as composting of wet waste at sites set up by the BMC and even the residential societies has definitely had an impact as well. The quantity of waste is at least not increasing any longer and once majority of the households adopt segregation, the quantity of waste can further reduce by another 1,000 metric tonnes by the end of the year,” he said.

The SWM’s data on segregation of waste indicates that until March, around 48 per cent of the households in the city are segregating dry and wet waste. More than a year since the fire which broke out at the Deonar dumping ground and after being pulled up by the Bombay High Court over the poor implementation of the solid waste management guidelines, the SWM took up proactive steps to reduce the quantity of waste being sent to the city’s three dumping grounds, including Kanjur, Mulund and Deonar.

In the affidavit, the BMC had noted there was absolutely no possibility of compliance of solid-waste management rules by 2019 to scientifically treat garbage and estimated the city’s waste to go up to 15,000 metric tonnes.

Barring the wet waste, SWM officials said, an additional 500 metric tonnes of debris is being taken to the Mulund dumping ground while another 350 metric tonnes is being taken to Deonar which is being used to cover the mounds of waste. The debris prevents the methane gas trapped underneath the decomposing waste from escaping and causing a fire.

A significant impact of the increasing awareness can be seen at H West ward where several residential societies as well as clubs, hotels and hospitals have started composting or processing their own wet waste. In one such instance, around 70 families of the Pali Hill Residents Association are in the process of setting up a waste-to-energy plant that can process up to one metric tonne of waste.

Sharad Ughade, assistant municipal commissioner of H West ward, said, “Many residential societies have come forward to seek help for setting up composting plants in their premises or gardens using the vermicomposting method. Apart from them, many hotels, shopping malls, which are bulk generators of dry waste, have started segregating, which has had a significant impact in the quantity of waste we have to send to the dumping ground.”

Ughade added that four clubs — Khar Gymkhana, Otter’s Club, Willingdon Gymkhana and Bangra Gymkhana — producing up to one tonne of food waste have also set up organic waste converters on their premises. Agreeing that the progress in the slums was slow, he said, “The BMC needs to take up a comprehensive drive in slums for a lasting impact and once the slums start segregating their waste, the waste being taken to dumping grounds will significantly drop.”

Speaking about the increasing awareness of the issue among residents, Anil Joseph, member of the Perry Roads Residents Association in Bandra, said the civic body’s emphasis on the Swachch Bharat campaign and effective use of celebrities to spread the message has helped. “About two months ago, the ward office had sent out notices to all the residential societies, making it mandatory for them to segregate their waste, adding the workers won’t collect the waste otherwise. Many societies in Bandra are opting to process their green waste and this change in mentality has happened only over the past year,” he said.

Apart from the initiative being taken up by residential societies, the BMC has set up 48 sorting centres across the city, of which majority of them are currently functional. “We already had 32 sorting centres and we added another 16 such centres where the waste can be segregated. We have conducted site visits at other locations as well and 19 more centres will also be opened where the shed has to be constructed,” said another SWM official. He added currently there are 46 dry waste vehicles operational in the city which will be increased to 94 in the next four months. In addition to these 67 sorting centres, the draft development plan has also proposed segregation centres at 11 other sites in the city.