The cat is out of the bag. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has finally admitted that it cannot process the gargantuan waste generated by this city. With as much as 62 per cent waste lying unprocessed, the lives of crores of Mumbaikars are now at risk.
According to civic officials, Mumbai generates 9,310 metric ton waste of which 7,500 MT is regular waste while 1,800 MT is debris and 10 MT bio-medical refuse. Of this, the civic body is able to scientifically process only 38 per cent within a year.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Pallavi Darade acknowledged in the standing committee on Monday that BMC is facing difficulty in scientifically treating waste due to various reasons. “The civic body has proposed to set up a manure production project at Deonar dumping ground by treating daily 2,000 MT waste and abiomethanation project at Mulund dumping ground by treating daily 500 MT of waste. However, both projects have not been started as the state government has denied them ‘land lease’. As waste is not scientifically treated at Deonar and Mulund, only garbage is deposited at these dump sites,” she said.
The garbage problem will be under control once its scientific processing begins at Deonar, Mulund and Kanjurmarg. As the state government has agreed to provide 32 hectare land at Taloja for dumping of waste, the problem will be solved within a couple of years, said Ms Darade.
However, corporators alleged that the BMC is giving false details about waste processing. “If 62 per cent of waste is lying unprocessed in the city, the civic administration should clarify how they are going to deal with the problem,” said standing committee chairman Shailesh Phanase.
Meanwhile, Senior Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Korgaonkar said, “Even processing works at dumping grounds are not being carried out properly by contractors. Local residents have opposed setting up of a dumping ground at Taloja. They have even threatened to move court on this issue. If this is the situation, why are civic officials claiming they will sort out the matter ”
