VMC Commissioner calls for stricter ban on single-use plastic
Speaking at 'Swachh Andhra – Swarna Andhra' programme in Satyanarayanapuram on Saturday (July 19), he said that the award belongs to people, sanitation workers, officials who contributed to maintain cleanliness in the city. He also called for a ban on single-use plastics of less than 120 microns.
'Starting from government offices, schools, colleges, a mandatory plastic ban should be implemented with the cooperation of the people and business organisations. There should also be awareness among people about ill-effects of plastic,' he said.
Explaining the effects of single-use plastic, the Commissioner said that it causes health problems for not only human beings but also for aquatic animals. It takes about 400 years for a plastic cover to decompose. He encouraged people to use jute or cloth bags instead.
About 1,170 kg of seized plastic was displayed during the programme. Fines have been introduced for a stricter implementation of the ban, the Commissioner said.
Later, the Commissioner handed over cloth bags to those who gave away plastic at a counter specially set up for this programme. Later, school students participated in a rally to plant saplings to reduce pollution and create awareness among the people about the ban on single-use plastic.
Meanwhile, at a press conference, Mayor Rayana Bhagyalakshmi lauded the efforts of people and sanitation workers in getting an award for the city. She said that it was a first time that the city received an award in the category of cities having population of more than 10 lakh. The first three spots went to Indore, Surat and Navi Mumbai, and Vijayawada has secured the fourth, she said, expressing happiness.
Ms. Bhagyalakshmi recalled that this is the second time, first being in 2021, that she received an award from the President. The city has also received an award in the 'Garbage Free City' category.
Deputy Mayor Bellam Durga, Sailaja Reddy and YSRCP Floor Leader Venkata Satyanarayana were also present at the press meeting.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
Study finds 51 outlets releasing sewage into Vishwamitri
Vadodara: With flood mitigation becoming a priority of the Vishwamitri project due to the unprecedented inundation caused by the city last year, the issue of pollution in the river seems to have taken a backseat. A study after the floods last year reveals that not only are there a large number of outlets releasing sewage water into the river, but the water from the river is also being drawn for irrigation purposes. The survey was done using a UAV (drone) and was the first of its kind conducted for the identification of outfall and lifting points in the river. The survey was conducted by a faculty member of the Pandit Deendayal Energy University for the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB). The report lists 64 locations where either sewage water is being released into the Vishwamitri or is being lifted from it. At 51 locations, the survey recorded inlets into the river while water was being drawn at 13 places. The report observes that the inlets were of various types like circular pipes, rectangular or trapezoid outlets, and irregular ones. The report observed that the highest number of outfalls into the river were situated at locations that could be potentially linked to the larger presence of municipal areas resulting in a higher production of sewer waste. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo Significant differences were also observed in the flow from the outlets during the day. This is believed to be a sign of time-dependent sewage disposal connected to municipal areas. The report also lists around 50 outfalls in the river by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC). The civic body did extensive drone surveys of the river for flood mitigation purposes when these outfalls were also identified. The findings in the report were recently included in the supplementary report of the committee appointed by the Gujarat State Human Rights Commission (GSHRC) that includes activists, experts, and officials. Environmentalist and a member of the GSHRC-appointed committee, Rohit Prajapati, said that the discharge of sewage water was a violation of orders by the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal. "This issue is not limited to Vadodara. It is an issue elsewhere in the state and the country too," he said. Prajapati added that a major reason was that sewage was not being treated properly. GPCB has also given notices to VMC over its sewage treatment plants.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Swachh Survekshan 2024: After dismal 219 rank, Panchkula turns to Indore to clean up its act
Following a decline in the Swachh Survekshan 2024 ranking, the Panchkula municipal corporation (MC) is set to implement cleanliness models of Indore and of four other top-performing urban cities in the country. A senior MC officer confirmed that detailed reports from these cities have been requested to guide their new strategies. An MC official acknowledged that data collection for the assessment was flawed, with public questionnaires on cleanliness not accurately recorded. (Sant Arora/HT) Panchkula's ranking plummeted to 219th this time from 139th in 2023, as released by the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs. The MC is currently awaiting its detailed score breakdown from the Swachh Survekshan assessment to pinpoint specific areas for improvement. An MC official acknowledged that data collection for the assessment was flawed, with public questionnaires on cleanliness not accurately recorded. 'A significant 1,200 marks were directly deducted due to the absence of a waste-processing plant. Insufficient social media publicity for Swachh Survekshan also contributed to the low score,' the MC official added. Swachh Survekshan 2024: After dismal 219 rank, Panchkula turns to Indore to clean up its act Despite the numerical drop, an officer offered a nuanced perspective. The officer explained that in 2023, the city competed against 446 cities in the 1-3 lakh population category. This year, it was in the 50,000-3 lakh population category with 824 competing cities. Despite this increased competition, Panchkula secured 10% more marks (8,008 out of 12,500) compared to last year's 5,224 out of 9,500, suggesting an underlying improvement in performance. Major setback in waste collection and processing In the Swachh Survekshan, Panchkula had major setbacks under various categories. Report shows that door-to-door waste collection sharply fell from 99% in 2023 to 61% in 2024 and source segregation in the city plunged from 61% to just 20%. Waste processing efficiency also plummeted from 98% to 51%. Public toilet cleanliness declined from a perfect 100% to 50%. Cleanliness of residential areas also saw a slight dip from 99% to 88%. Raising his concerns, SK Nayar, president of the Citizens' Welfare Association, criticised the MC's waste management. He stated that the door-to-door garbage collection service is unsatisfactory and doesn't cater to the needs of vulnerable groups like seniors, patients, and those residing on upper floors. Nayar highlighted that MC staff often mix segregated waste, undermining residents' efforts. He further expressed alarm over the condition of public toilets in markets and parks, describing them as frequently locked, dirty, broken, or lacking water. HSVP asks MC to take over cleanliness of more sectors In a related development, the Haryana Shehari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) has formally requested the MC commissioner to accommodate its 32 employees and assume responsibility for the cleanliness of additional sectors, including those in the trans-Ghaggar area, Sector 31, and the MDC area. If the MC accepts this proposal, it could expand its cleanliness coverage. Presently, the sanitation work in these sectors is handled by HSVP. City ready for monsoon with cleaned drains, improved roads The Panchkula Metropolitan Development Authority (PMDA) has announced comprehensive measures to tackle monsoon waterlogging and enhance city infrastructure. PMDA CEO K Makarand Pandurang stated that all city drains have been thoroughly cleaned, including major stormwater channels and roadside drains. He said that significant progress has also been made on road repairs, with 28 out of 32 sanctioned outer roads covering 21.72 km already completed. Additionally, a master plan for the city's entire rainwater drainage system is underway, and projects to upgrade 11 major parks and 19 green belts with new amenities are progressing. The PMDA has approved projects worth ₹251.17 crore for these various initiatives.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Takeaways from the Swachh Survekshan
Rankings and celebrations apart, the ninth edition of Swachh Survekshan, branded as the world's largest cleanliness survey, provides policy makers and city managers a reality check on urban sanitation and waste management, and a reliable database. The annual survey steered by Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)-Urban had not only over 4,500 cities competing, compared to less than 100 in 2016, but was also backed by elaborate assessments and third party verification and further bolstered by feedback from 140 million city dwellers. From segregation, collection, transportation, and management of waste to the welfare of sanitation workers and grievance redressal, the 10 parameters of the survey are comprehensive. The survey has emerged as an effective driver of competition and movement in city sanitation. It also provides a measure of the gaps in India's journey towards clean cities. Different population sizes The advent of Super Swachh League this year was an overdue twist to break the stalemate at the top of the rankings. Indore, Surat, and Navi Mumbai — all mascots of cleanliness for a while — entered this new space along with 20 other cities of different population sizes. Members of the League could create new benchmarks and compete among themselves while yielding space to new aspirants to enter clean city ranks. That is how Ahmedabad, Bhopal, and Lucknow could break into the top as India's cleanest cities this time in the million-plus category, with another 12 receiving ranks in their own population segments. Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 appeared focused on faster democratisation of city cleanliness. The expansion of population categories from two to five, starting from cities with a population of less than 20,000 to those with a million-plus population, provided a fairer platform for cities to perform. Those hitherto lagging are now catching up. Odisha is an example. Bhubaneswar moved up from the 34th to the 9th rank; small towns such as Aska and Chikiti worked their way to the top three clean cities in their categories; and mid-size cities including Rourkela, Cuttack, and Berhampur moved considerably upwards. These trends create hope that cleanliness is not a preserve of only certain States. Cities from the south are yet to make any big mark in the clean city show with Bengaluru being the least inspirational. Hyderabad, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Guntur, and Mysuru were the best in the region. The National Capital Region presents an interesting medley: while the New Delhi Municipal Council areas and Noida ranked best for meticulous sanitation implementation, Delhi, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad improved their ranks irrespective of the negative reports they received in the public domain. The clean city basket has grown larger since one promising clean city was picked up from each State based on its progress and potential. Once cities are positively stamped, they tend to stay in the aspirational course. Understood this way, the 78 Swachh awards given were not too many. Setting up the cleanest cities as mentors to the most underperforming ones could help in the proliferation of multiple good practices among urban local bodies (ULBs). While Indore is a veteran in segregating the last gram of waste into six buckets at source — dry, wet, domestic hazardous, plastic, sanitary and e-waste; Surat has been making good revenue by selling sewage-treated water. Pune's waste management is anchored on cooperatives formed by ragpickers. Visakhapatnam made an eco-park from remediated legacy waste site. Lucknow produced an iconic waste wonder park. The Kuberpur area in Agra, once a toxic dumpsite, transformed to 47 acres of green, by engaging bioremediation and biomining technologies. Tourist destinations and places of high footfall received special emphasis in the survey. Prayagraj was awarded in the category of Ganga towns, and special recognition was extended to the recent Maha Kumbh for its sanitation management. India accounts for less than 1.5% of international tourist arrivals. Cities need to do much more than an occasional cleanliness drive to enhance tourist experience. The theme this year The theme of 'reduce, reuse, and recycle (RRR)', advocated by the 2025 survey, carries the prospect of jobs, enterprise, and invigoration of self-help groups. The theme of the last survey was 'waste to wealth'. We are yet to raise the billions of rupees out of waste that is possible. For this, policy needs to better incentivise investors. Waste-to-energy plants are gaining traction but the private sector may be concerned about commercial viability. Citizens are yet to take meaningful action even though the RRR approach is entrenched in India's ancient traditions. While a universal resentment against open defecation has been achieved by SBM, a behaviour change movement fostering intolerance against waste and fighting against consumerism has been tough to initiate. As more cities get identified as hubs of growth, we must prioritise the management of 1.5 lakh tonnes of solid waste generated every day. A lot will depend on delivery at decentralised levels, especially by ULBs in enforcing segregation, collection, transport, and processing, including of the more challenging plastic and e-waste. The business of waste management in cities may look chaotic, but it remains possible. The rise of Surat from being a place of garbage three decades ago to the top place in the sanitation chart last year shows that this is a possibility in all cities in India. Akshay Rout, Former Director General, Swachh Bharat Mission.
