Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s Waste Management Practices Come Under State Pollution Control Board’s Scanner

New Delhi: The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) has expressed concern over how waste was being managed by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, as well as other civic bodies in the state. Despite generating over 4,500 tonnes of waste in the city daily, lack of land for adequate and scientific disposal of waste in Kolkata has raised eyebrows among members of the state pollution control board. The WBPCB is apprehensive that lack of land for disposal of waste may see the KMC dispose waste in empty lands in residential areas, compromising on health and hygiene of residents.

Lack of alternative waste management systems have hurt Kolkata’s waste scenario, as nearly 4,000 tonnes of waste continues to be disposed in the sole landfill of Dhapa. The landfill, with a dysfunctional waste treatment plant had exhausted its lifespan over 30 years ago, but continues to host waste due to the absence of any other scientific landfill that can share Dhapa’s burden. The site was decontaminated at a cost of Rs 80 crore few years back, but the volume of waste generated daily has reinstated Dhapa into the list of one of India’s most endangered landfills. The state pollution control board is reluctant to create any other garbage dumping sites within the city’s premises.

There is hardly any land to dispose anymore waste within the city. Creation of anymore garbage hills within the city will result in spread of diseases and compromise with citizens’ health, said Kalyan Rudra, Chairman, West Bengal Pollution Control Board.

At least two more waste management treatment plants are needed in Kolkata to treat majority of the waste produced by the city. The KMC has also planned to encourage segregation among the residents of the city by providing them tax benefits. The plan, in pipeline since September 2017, is yet to materialise. The state pollution control board plans to hold a series of meetings with KMC and other civic bodies to discuss possible steps that could be taken to curb the problem of lack of space for waste disposal.

Also Read: Kolkata’s Landfill Crisis: The City’s Dependency On The Sole Landfill Of Dhapa May Soon Result In An Unresolvable Crisis