AMC may miss SC deadline on waste disposal

AHMEDABAD: Despite its pioneering efforts in evolving a concept of solid waste management in India, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is likely to miss the January 1 deadline set by the Supreme Court for door-to-door garbage collection and scientific disposal of waste.The apex court, four years ago, asked 300 class-I cities in the country to create a system for door-to-door collection of solid waste.The SC directed the respective urban bodies in the country to establish proper facilities for garbage collection and disposal in their jurisdiction. But four years down the line, AMC is still grappling to find a lasting solution for the heaps of garbage that come up daily in the city, while other cities are seriously pursuing the upgradation of their solid waste management system.The civic body is yet to identify dustbin sites for garbage collection from private societies, residential colonies, flats and bungalows spread over an area of 192 square kilometres. As per the SC guidelines, the public dustbins should not be placed more than 500 metres away from the residential premises or a colony. Considering this fact, Ahmedabad needs over 1,000 dustbin sites for systematic garbage collection.However, as of now, it seems to be a tall order for the civic body to convert the existing 312 out of the 708 dustbin sites into completely covered sites. "We are trying our best to provide containers at these sites before the deadline," says director, Solid Waste Management & Conservancy Services, AMC, Jayanti Makwana. However, sources at the civic body point out that the civic body needs a whopping Rs 10 crore to upgrade the solid waste disposal system.Concerned over the SC deadline, large metros like Chennai and Kolkata have already privatised their solid waste management. However, AMC seems to be in no hurry to meet the deadline. "We are also thinking on these terms and the matter is under consideration," comments deputy municipal commissioner, J G Hingrajia, who had recently gone on a study tour to the Chennai Municipal Corporation to study the privatisation of solid waste management services.The SC guidelines also recommended hydraulic system enabled carriers for dumping garbage and treatment facilities for the generation of compost. However, AMC has a 500-tonne capacity garbage treatment facility in the city's outskirts at Pirana. The city generates around 1,400 tonnes of solid waste everyday, of which 500 tonnes goes directly to the treatment plant for making energy pellets and compost. Another 300 tonnes are generated from construction waste, while the remaining 600 tonnes are dumped at the Pirana and RTO dumping sites.However, as per the guidelines, the municipal corporation has to convert the dumping sites into 'sanitary land filling sites' to prevent groundwater pollution and underground percolation of toxic chemicals. The site has to be covered with a polythene sheet, to make the site environment-friendly. "We are searching for appropriate places to convert them into dumping sites in western and eastern areas of the city, as per SC orders," adds Makwana.But even before the AMC gears itself to put the new system in place, it faces an uphill task to spread awareness among the masses about solid waste disposal. "Poor public awareness among the masses and a typical Amdavadi mentality to litter without feeling any guilt may delay our plans," says chairman of the health committee, Narendra Brahmbhatt.