Dehradun civic body to roll out rebate-linked waste policy: Commissioner

Time of India

3 days ago

Dehradun municipal commissioner Namami Bansal, in an interview with TOI's Tanmayee Tyagi, acknowledged that improvements are needed in the civic body's handling of door-to-door waste collection and source segregation.
Once the cleanest city in Uttarakhand, Dehradun's ranking in the recently released Swachh Survekshan (SS) 2024 results slipped to 13th position statewide. It improved slightly in national rankings, from 68th to 62nd in the big city category, but its door-to-door waste collection dropped drastically from 96.5% to 48%, and waste processing fell from 78.5% to 27%. In order to combat this issue, Bansal on Saturday said a source segregation policy will be introduced soon, which will offer rebates in user charges so that the more a resident segregates their waste, the more rebate they will receive.
Q: Even though there was a slight improvement in Doon's national ranking, the parameters are not very encouraging. What are the key takeaways from the current scores?
The numbers are very clear. We need to make significant improvements in our door-to-door waste collection and source segregation. This time, we lost out on the garbage-free city and legacy waste criteria, but since the inspections for SS 2024, regular processing has been carried out at both our legacy waste sites.
We've already made significant progress on that front. Since the corporation's takeover of door-to-door waste management, we've increased garbage collection to over 80%.
We have our work cut out for us, and we're steadily taking steps to fix the situation.
Q: What does Dehradun's fall in ranking within the state signify?
It's important to understand that this comparison is not absolute. Changes in markings and indicative parameters mean that a comparison with previous years doesn't tell the whole story.
Similarly, an absolute city-wise ranking is also not a fair comparison. A cantonment board or a municipality doesn't have the same indicators as a municipal corporation. A smaller city with less population has different challenges compared to a larger one, especially the state capital.
Even the marking parameters are different. Also, unfortunately, when the inspections were happening in Dehradun, sanitation workers were on strike due to non-payment of wages.
This irregularity was the primary reason why the corporation stepped in. Since we took over, we've managed to avoid such scenarios, and door-to-door collection has actually improved. If we're able to implement our plans, next year's Survekshan scores will reflect our efforts.
Q: The need for source segregation has been an old one. Even the corporation has been saying so. How is DMC planning to achieve this?
We are bringing in a specific source segregation policy and will introduce it soon.
To encourage more people to carry out segregation, we'll offer rebates in user charges. The more you segregate your waste at the doorstep, the more rebate you'll receive. There's a need for massive public sensitisation on this front. If only 10% of people segregate their waste, it doesn't help the system, it all ends up mixed. But if everyone does it, we can actually build an effective waste management system with better processing at our collection centres.
We'll also strengthen our challaning and enforcement to ensure compliance.
Q: What else can be done to strengthen Doon's overall waste management?
We're planning a decentralised approach to waste management. The compactors at Kargi were installed with this in mind. We're also working to enhance capacity so that the Harrawala model can be replicated in other wards. We already have some solutions, we just need to implement them.
The idea of licensing commercial establishments is also part of this. Once we have a count of licensed bulk waste generators, we can track the waste they generate, how it's being disposed of, and take action on any non-compliance.
For transparency, we're involving self-help groups in collecting user charges. We're on the right track, and stabilising Doon's waste management is a top priority for the corporation.
Dehradun municipal commissioner Namami Bansal, in an interview with TOI's Tanmayee Tyagi, acknowledged that improvements are needed in the civic body's handling of door-to-door waste collection and source segregation.
Once the cleanest city in Uttarakhand, Dehradun's ranking in the recently released Swachh Survekshan (SS) 2024 results slipped to 13th position statewide. It improved slightly in national rankings, from 68th to 62nd in the big city category, but its door-to-door waste collection dropped drastically from 96.5% to 48%, and waste processing fell from 78.5% to 27%.
In order to combat this issue, Bansal on Saturday said a source segregation policy will be introduced soon, which will offer rebates in user charges so that the more a resident segregates their waste, the more rebate they will receive.
Q: Even though there was a slight improvement in Doon's national ranking, the parameters are not very encouraging. What are the key takeaways from the current scores?
The numbers are very clear. We need to make significant improvements in our door-to-door waste collection and source segregation. This time, we lost out on the garbage-free city and legacy waste criteria, but since the inspections for SS 2024, regular processing has been carried out at both our legacy waste sites.
We've already made significant progress on that front. Since the corporation's takeover of door-to-door waste management, we've increased garbage collection to over 80%.
We have our work cut out for us, and we're steadily taking steps to fix the situation.
Q: What does Dehradun's fall in ranking within the state signify?
It's important to understand that this comparison is not absolute. Changes in markings and indicative parameters mean that a comparison with previous years doesn't tell the whole story.
Similarly, an absolute city-wise ranking is also not a fair comparison. A cantonment board or a municipality doesn't have the same indicators as a municipal corporation. A smaller city with less population has different challenges compared to a larger one, especially the state capital.
Even the marking parameters are different. Also, unfortunately, when the inspections were happening in Dehradun, sanitation workers were on strike due to non-payment of wages.
This irregularity was the primary reason why the corporation stepped in. Since we took over, we've managed to avoid such scenarios, and door-to-door collection has actually improved. If we're able to implement our plans, next year's Survekshan scores will reflect our efforts.
Q: The need for source segregation has been an old one. Even the corporation has been saying so. How is DMC planning to achieve this?
We are bringing in a specific source segregation policy and will introduce it soon.
To encourage more people to carry out segregation, we'll offer rebates in user charges. The more you segregate your waste at the doorstep, the more rebate you'll receive. There's a need for massive public sensitisation on this front. If only 10% of people segregate their waste, it doesn't help the system, it all ends up mixed. But if everyone does it, we can actually build an effective waste management system with better processing at our collection centres.
We'll also strengthen our challaning and enforcement to ensure compliance.
Q: What else can be done to strengthen Doon's overall waste management?
We're planning a decentralised approach to waste management. The compactors at Kargi were installed with this in mind. We're also working to enhance capacity so that the Harrawala model can be replicated in other wards. We already have some solutions, we just need to implement them. The idea of licensing commercial establishments is also part of this. Once we have a count of licensed bulk waste generators, we can track the waste they generate, how it's being disposed of, and take action on any non-compliance.
For transparency, we're involving self-help groups in collecting user charges. We're on the right track, and stabilising Doon's waste management is a top priority for the corporation.