City faces dearth of new sites for garbage

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
 

Mumbai: The city is relentlessly churning out waste at a rapid speed, but civic agencies and planners are still at a loss to effectively and adequately dispose of the 6,500 tonnes of organic, recyclable and nondegradable waste produced every day. The dearth of waste sites is believed to be encouraging illegal dumping across the city, and 150 illegal sites were identified by the corporation this year in May while unofficial estimates peg the figure between 300-500.
    “It is difficult for private contractors to transport the waste to far off dumping sites and they conveniently dispose it in creeks, open drains and along footpaths, whichever is convenient. In the absence of an effective mechanism to curb the practice, it has now become a menace,” said an official of the solid waste management department.
    After the Gorai dumping yard was scientifically closed a few years back, the corporation has only the landfills of Deonar, Mulund and Kanjurmarg — half of which can’t be used as it is on mangrove land — at its disposal. Worse, a long-term projection of city’s waste generation estimates that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) would see an increase in waste generation by 50% at the end of the decade.
    The dump yards are nearing the end of their shelf life too — the Deonar site will be able to hold another 2,000 tonnes of waste, Kanjurmarg 4,000 and Mulund another 1,000 tonnes of garbage only for the next couple of years. Both the MMRDA and BMC have identified new sites but they will take some time to be ready, said officials. “As a long-term solution we are seriously studying the possibility of scientifically disposing the waste at the dump sites and encouraging residents and housing societies to recycle waste on their own,” said additional municipal commissioner Mohan Adtani.
    Among suggestions mooted by planners are setting up of smaller organic recycling plants in each neighbourhood to recycle 50-100 tonnes of waste. It is also being proposed that the authorities should encourage residential buildings to set up compost pits in their backyards.