Civic body to study ‘Indore model’ of waste management | Mumbai News
In order to ensure better solid waste management (SWM) in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is going to study the ‘Indore model’ of waste management that has helped the ‘Mini Mumbai’ of Madhya Pradesh to remain as the cleanest city of India for six consecutive years.
Currently, Mumbai generates close to 6,300 metric ronnes (MT) of waste, out of which more than 60% of daily solid waste is sent to Kanjurmarg landfill, while the remaining waste is sent to Deonar dumping ground. While the bulk waste that is sent to Kanjurmarg gets scientifically processed, the waste sent to Deonar remains untreated.
According to the waste management rules of the BMC that was drafted in 2016, it was stated that the civic body will have to reduce its dependency on dumping grounds by starting waste segregation at source. However, in a report published in May 2023, it was stated that more than 47% of the bulk waste generators of Mumbai were not segregating waste at source.
Meanwhile, the basic foundation of the Indore model was achieved by implementing door-to-door collection of solid waste.
Dr. Sudhakar Shinde, additional municipal commissioner of BMC said the civic administration has floated a proposal with the All India Local Self Government (AILSG), through which civic officials and sanitary workers would be trained under the parameters of the Indore model.
“We are planning to study the entire Indore model by visiting the city and understanding how the mechanism of waste collection works. A team of at least 400 civic workers will visit Indore in various slots to understand the methodology of the model,” Shinde told The Indian Express.
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Currently, there are 400 junior officers involved in solid-waste management activities. Each junior officer has 50 sanitation staff working under them. Shinde said the idea behind studying the Indore model is to ensure there is proper mechanism in waste management through all levels.
“Our basic idea is to ensure that the entire flowchart — starting from the municipal wards to the centralized system of waste treatment — is improvised in a way that the entire system of waste management improves,” said Shinde.
The Indore model of waste treatment mainly has several aspects—waste generation and segregation at source, setting up waste processing units and implementation of door-to-door collection of solid waste.
An official from the solid waste management department said Mumbai is different from Indore in many aspects. “Mumbai has relatively higher population and more commercial establishments, the pattern of residential units is also different. Therefore, the entire model cannot be replicated. However, certain aspects can be improved such as improving the process of segregation of waste at source,” said the official.
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