Source segregation of garbage failed in Visakhapatnam
GVMC went back to dustbins in a few years after the launch of the scheme
Hyderabad: The plan of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to segregate garbage at source into wet and dry waste and then manage it further seems good on paper, but it is a very tough task to execute.
A similar plan by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) called Visakha Integrated Solid Waste Management (VISWAM), had fallen flat due to basic issues.
VISWAM was aimed at making the port city dustbin free by efficient door-to-door collection of waste, which would be segregated at source. However, GVMC went back to dustbins in a few years after the launch of the scheme.
Door-to-door garbage collection is being done irregularly in many areas of Vizag, sometimes garbage is collected once in two or three days and on top of it the garbage collectors, who are paid salaries by GVMC, demand money from people every month. There is also a complete lack of knowledge and understanding about the importance of segregation of waste among many city folks.
The GVMC had distributed about 44,000 red and green bins in 11 wards among people for source segregation, but unfortunately the garbage collectors themselves do not carry separate bins and dump all the waste into their tricycles. In many cases the tricycles are also in a poor condition and are not given by GVMC but are donated by local politicians.
The GHMC needs to ensure that the same mistakes are not repeated in Hyderabad if it wants door-to-door waste segregation to be a success in Hyderabad.