NEWS

A recent survey by an industry grouping has claimed that though the National Capital has the largest number of people engaged in the recycling of urban or municipal waste compared to other metros, yet it is the worst in managing its trash and figures below Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

Compared to Delhi, which produces 5,900 metric tonnes per day (mtd), cities like Mumbai with 8,000 mtd, Kolkata with 3,000 mtd and Chennai with 3,500 mtd have better total waste efficiency.

The survey conducted by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) claims that only one per cent of those engaged in solid waste management in Delhi were found to be skilled, out of a battery of 52,000 workforce, which is the highest among the metros. Delhi also faired badly in handling the solid waste in the survey.

With the highest population size of 1.50 crore, Delhi, has the highest per capital expenditure on solid waste management (Rs 431) followed by Mumbai (Rs 428), Jaipur (Rs 301), Chennai (Rs 295) and Ludhiana (Rs 258), according to an agency report.

Nagpur, Nasik and Bangalore claim a 100 per cent collection efficiency in household collection of waste, while Surat and Hyderabad have shown an efficiency of 80 per cent and 75 per cent, respectively.

Privatisation seems to be the key for many cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Jaipur and Nagpur where the maximum activities have been handed over to the private sector, while Coimbatore and Asansol have evinced a possibility of privatising all solid waste management activities in future. Twenty-three out of 25 cities selected for the survey have opted for privatisation.

In a related news, MCD commissioner A. K. Nigam was quoted as admitting that though the three existing landfills, Ghazipur, Bhalaswa and Okhla, were full, yet and the Corporation has no option but to continue using them.