Whether
Bengaluru is reeling under the depression in Bay of Bengal could be debated,
but the city is undoubtedly reeling under severe Garbage crisis once again. BBMP
and the relevant authorities have failed to address the Garbage situation in
the city yet again; they have handed over the city and citizen health to
Garbage mafia. Heaps of Garbage are quickly turning into mountains, out-break
of an epidemic is inevitable if the apathy and mindlessness continues for few
more days.
Throwing
money at every problem seems to be the only idea BBMP comes up with;
unfortunately BBMP spending over Rs 400-500 crores on Solid waste Management
(SWM) annually has not stopped the Garbage crisis that hits that city every 2
years. Bengaluru is probably the only city with such high spending on SWM and
it seems like BBMP is busy ‘applying lipstick on a pig’.
The
villages around Bengaluru have chased out BBMP Garbage trucks, after BBMP converted
the land near the villages into toxic dump yards and landfills, with absolutely
no intention of processing, treatment or clearing the Garbage. Why only
neighbouring villages the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC) that
is located in Ward 190 has been opposed by the residents around due to faulty
policy and complete contempt of court ordered Standard Operating Procedures.
Every
time there was a Garbage crisis, hundreds of truck loads of Garbage was sent
out to neighbouring villages for dumping, but now with that option ruled out,
the streets of Bengaluru are raising the stink.
So
why is Garbage such a big issue for Bengaluru? In simple management terms it’s ‘Garbage In, Garbage Out’, how can one
expect better result from a toothless SWM policy and faulty Garbage tender?
A
good look at the SWM policy and the Garbage tender will not only expose the
lack of holistic approach, but lack of intent. When Garbage tender is not in
sync with SWM policy the policy is designed to fail on all fronts.
The
key guidelines of SWM policy that includes Source, Collection, Transport, Processing
and Disposal should be implemented in totality, but today the policy is
gathering dust with no connect to the Garbage tender what so ever.
Source
Segregation at
source is the first and crucial step to addressing the Garbage crisis; even
though currently less than 15% households segregating waste at source, it’s
more due to the waste collection method, lack of awareness and lack of sustained localized campaign in the communities.
Collection &
Transport
Even though the
tender has certain guidelines on collection, handling and transport, ambiguity
in the clauses is completely exploited by the Service Provider, who have an
incentive to transport un-segregated waste. Three critical aspects that need a
revamp in the tender are:
- Shift
the policy from collection of segregated waste to collection of the Wet
& Dry waste separately by two different Service Providers, thereby
defining the roles and objectives for the two Service Providers.
- Mandatory
use of leak proof containers by all primary collection vehicles, and sync
the transfer timings between primary and secondary collection to avoid
creating dumping at secondary collection points.
- Move
from the term Treatment to Processing (Composting, Recycling, Reusing)
Processing
The SWM policy
has to change form Treatment to Processing, which will lead to reduction in creating
newer landfill or dumping yards. Processing should include Composting in case
of wet waste, Recycling in case of dry waste and Reusing to produce
energy/bio-gas.
Disposal
Debris and waste
that cannot be processed needs a clear destination, there is rampant illegal
dumping of the debris on the Lake beds and into Storm Water Drains across the
city. Construction debris is a reality and unless there is a specific
destination identified the city Lakes will suffer at the cost of construction.
One
does not have to read an encyclopedia to realize that Pourakarmikas (PKs),
SHGs, Informal sector waste-pickers (ISWPs) play a critical role in a
successful implementation of SWM policy. PKs, SHGs, ISWPs can be linked
directly to various state & central livelihood programs by making them the
stake holders in the SWM policy.
The
SWM policy needs a highly decentralized approach, it should emphasize on
multiple Service Providers and SWM Entrepreneurs to create not only competition
but to push for continuous improvement on a yearly basis in infrastructure and
technology.
State
Government and BBMP are currently on a ‘Frog Kissing’ mode, they have announced
yet another high cost experiment of Waste-2-Energy plant, but unless the SWM policy,
Garbage tender are not in sync, Waste-2-Energy plant will be yet another white
Elephant just like the Sewage Treatment Plants that are running 60-70% below
capacity.
A
good policy alone cannot guarantee better result, the skill is in
implementation, hence there is a need to shift focus from spending on tenders
to spending on manpower, resources, training, campaigns, awareness programs and
incentive policy.
Garbage
mafia has to end and to do that BBMP should start investing on setting
objectives, targets and achieving results and stop throwing taxpayers’ monies
on Garbage trucks.