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Rs.50-crore integrated waste management plan

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

GARBAGE DISPOSAL: Part of the garbage dumping yard under construction at Kurumampet in Puducherry.

PUDUCHERRY: The Local Administration Department is close to implement a Rs.50-crore integrated solid waste management programme under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

Based on a project report prepared by the Government-appointed consultancy, headed by Dr. Maley, one of the members of the committee on solid waste management constituted by the Supreme Court, the department is preparing an action plan to implement the programme in two municipalities and parts of Villianur and Ariankuppam commune panchayats.

The report recommends scientific methods for effective solid waste management from segregated collection of garbage at source, transportation and disposal. As of now, source segregation is being done only in one ward, and door-to-door collection in a few pockets. The region does not have a proper dumping yard. To begin with, the department plans to start source segregation within eight wards of Pondicherry Municipality, and in 11 wards of Oulgaret.

In two to three years all wards and parts of the two commune panchayats will be covered, a senior official of Local Administration told The Hindu. For collection and transportation, the department planned to involve civic workers as well as private players. The role of private players would be more into transportation, the official pointed out.

Modernised vehicles like garbage dumper-placers and compactors would be purchased for transportation of garbage to the dumping yard, which is coming up on a 23-acre site at Kurumampet.

The work on setting up the yard had begun a few months ago. Construction of the compound wall was nearing completion. Work for a bio-fence, including planting of trees, had just begun, the official said. As per the study by the consultancy, only about 30 per cent of the waste generated in the region had to be dumped and the remaining could either converted to compost or can re-cycled.

Before launching the programme, the department planned to have a month-long awareness programme involving NSS volunteers, self-help group members, residential association members and elected representatives.

The programme would be conducted through rallies, ad films, hoardings, competition for schoolchildren, door-to-door campaign and through distribution of pamphlets. The department had entrusted the task of preparing the pamphlets to to Pondicherry University. The Union Ministry of Urban Development would bear 80 per cent of the project cost. The project would soon be launched.

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