Solid waste generation goes down by 42% in major cities
In Ahmedabad, solid waste generation has gone down by more than 50 per cent, while the bio-medical waste generated has doubled compared to the pre-lockdown period, says Harshadray Solanki, director of solid waste management in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).
The biomedical waste that used to be 550-600 kilograms per day has now doubled to 1,000 kilograms and is further expected to go up to 3,000 kilograms, given the rampant use of masks and waste coming in from quarantined areas. (Representational Photo)
The quantity of solid waste generated in four major cities of Gujarat — Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot, has gone down by 42% per day as the country is going through the third week of lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The waste being generated by the four cities combined is approximately 4,600 tonnes lesser than what was generated in the pre-lockdown phase per day. The solid waste management department attributed the plunge in trash generation to the closure of commercial establishments like food joints, malls and several office spaces for 21 days.
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In Ahmedabad, solid waste generation has gone down by more than 50 per cent, while the bio-medical waste generated has doubled compared to the pre-lockdown period, says Harshadray Solanki, director of solid waste management in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).
“All local and urban bodies are actively undertaking door-to-door garbage collection. The government has allocated Rs 21 crore to provide masks, gloves and boots to around 51,000 of our sanitation workers in the urban centres. Waste generation has reduced as a lot of spaces are now closed due to the lockdown. The waste collected from quarantined houses is incinerated and does not make it to the overall trash,” said Lochan Sehra, Secretary, Urban Development, Government of Gujarat.
In Rajkot, where an average of 600 tonnes of waste was generated on a normal day, the quantity has now reduced by 100 tonnes. “We have urged people to segregate waste before dumping them. The dry waste generation has reduced due to closure of shops and offices and lack of any kind of activities on the streets,” said Nilesh Parmar, Environment Engineer, Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC).
After the imposition of the lockdown, many waste-pickers could not pick up garbage either because of restrictions by police or apartment societies, affecting garbage collection.
Rasik Solanki, who lives in Fatehgunj area of Vadodara, was working on contractual basis to collect garbage from every house in at least four societies in Bhayli area of the city, said: “Initially, I could manage to go every alternate day. Later the society asked me not to report to work as a precaution,” Solanki said. Every morning, a VMC garbage van goes to societies. The driver blows a whistle to alert the residents who then put the garbage bags in the van.
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The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) figure reveals that on an average, the city generates approximately 1,000 tonnes of garbage on normal days. This has come down to 700 tonnes now.
“In Surat, people are asked to put trash in bins kept in their societies that are later taken away by garbage vans. Many societies have voluntarily decided to stop door-to-door collection,” said JN Naik, in charge of solid waste management department, Surat Municipal Corporation. In Surat, the waste generated has come down from 2,200 tonnes on an average daily to 1,500 tonnes.
On a normal day, for the AMC jurisdiction spread over a 464 square kilometre area, Solanki says the solid waste collection went up to 4,000 metric tonnes per day. This has now come down to 1,600-1,700 metric tonnes now.
“Construction has completely stopped so construction and demolition waste which used to be 1000 MT is now zero. Commercial unit waste collection that used to range from 650-700MT, too, has stopped,” said Solanki.
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The biomedical waste that used to be 550-600 kilograms per day has now doubled to 1,000 kilograms and is further expected to go up to 3,000 kilograms, given the rampant use of masks and waste coming in from quarantined areas.
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
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