New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is planning to increase the number of green waste management centres to 52 across the capital to achieve 100 per cent composting of organic waste in coming years, an official said. This move would help in terminating the need to buy compost while helping in checking air pollution and encouraging the scientific disposal of green waste, an MCD official told Press Trust of India (PTI).
Also Read: The Human And Health Cost Of Delhi’s Garbage Mountains And Waste Crisis
Green waste is any organic waste that can be composted like grasses, leaves, small branches and pruning. According to the official, at present, 38 green waste management centres are functional across Delhi with average monthly production of 70 MT compost. The erstwhile South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) – now merged with other North Delhi Municipal Committee (NDMC) and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) – had first started green waste management.
We have been doing green waste management for the last few years in SDMC. Now that all three corporations have been merged to become MCD. We want to implement it across Delhi. The work is underway. The department is working towards achieving 100 per cent of composting of green waste. At present, it stands at 73 per cent. For this, we need at least one green waste management centre for 52 acres area.
For green waste management, several vehicles are required for the transportation of waste to the centres. Besides, several pieces of equipment are required to ensure the complete management of waste. Each green waste management centre has shredder-cum-wood chipper, vermicomposting beds and weld mesh composting units.
The department needs around three crores for procurement of shredder-cum-wood chipper, MS weld mesh and vermicompositing beds for the proper function of 52 Green waste management centre. The official added,
Moreover, 10.41 crore is required for the maintenance of roadside trees and lifting green waste. This money will be used to buy 25 additional trucks, eight new ambulances, 14 new hydraulic tree pruners and 67 drivers.
The department also needs 44 additional chippers, 700 vermicomposting beds against the current 301, and 400 MS weld mesh composting units. The official added,
After pruning and collection of green waste. If the wood pieces are big you cannot make compost. You need to chop it down, for which shedders are used. There are also tender parts of the plant like leaves and small branches. We go for vermicomposting of the leaves’ tender part. For wood chips, thorns and other parts weld mesh composting units are used.
Vermicomposting is a process in which earthworms convert waste material with rigid structures into compost.
Also Read: Garbage Mountains – Dotting The Landscape Of Delhi
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
