NEW DELHI: The East Delhi Municipal Corporation has set a benchmark for other civic bodies by achieving 100 per cent segregation of solid waste in its three model wards within a span of just three months.
According to the civic body, the waste segregation programme began at Mayur Vihar- I, Anand Vihar and Yamuna Vihar in April but the work slowed down to the Lok Sabha elections. From May onwards, the pilot project was back on track at full pace.
About 2,500-2,600 tonnes of waste is collected from the total 64 wards of EDMC in which 5 tonnes of biodegradable waste per day is decomposed as of now. The EDMC has already began the programme in six more wards, including Gautam Puri, Dilshad Garden, Jhilmil, Krishna Nagar, and Preet Vihar.
In March, the NGT had passed an order to start the model ward initiative and had directed the municipal corporations to identify three such wards each where complete compliance of solid waste management rules was to be carried out. “Last year, the Supreme Court had ordered to achieve the waste segregation and set the deadline till September. However, we have achieved it well before the time,” a senior EDMC official told The Morning Standard.
The official stated that it was not an easy task to achieve as around 40,000 houses came under the programme. “We had to teach the residents how to segregate the waste produced at home. Initially there were resistance from the public but later they understood the importance of segregating waste and cooperated with us,” the official noted.
The EDMC had distributed dustbins besides commissioning street plays, engaging those who were already a part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, roping in NGOs, sensitizing workers and enhancing the separate collection of garbage.
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