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| As city faces environment catastrophe, Govt suffers policy paralysis | | Feasibility report on solid waste management dumped under heap of garbage | | Abodh Sharma
Jammu, Oct 27: At a time when Jammu is staring at an imminent environment disaster due to complete policy paralysis over its solid waste management, the government and its urban agencies are in deep criminal slumber over the catastrophe that is not too far away.
Blame it on administrative inertia and lack of official foresight, the crucial project of solid waste management of the city has been put on the back burner for years now- and this at a time when city's over 400 metric tonnes of waste is being dumped in the bed of river Tawi, quickly drying up Jammu's primary source of drinking water.
Sources disclose that an ambitious proposal under Public-Private Participation mode that promises not only sanitation of the city through effective and eco friendly management of its solid waste, but also produce adequate power from its disposal.
After various environment activists and responsible citizens raised alarm over lack of policy over city's waste management, the government woke up to the need to dispose city's increasing solid waste and initiate a process towards it in early 2011. In this regard, Tender was floated vide NIT no.S/615 dated 07.01.2011. The Tender was submitted along with price bid on dated 28.01.2011. J&K Industrial Project Consultant Pvt Ltd was awarded the consultancy services and entrusted with the responsibility of preparing a feasibility report, for which a Letter of Intent was issued to the consultants on 30.03.2011. A formal agreement in this regard was signed on dated 09.04.2011 between the concerned government department and JKIPC. The consultants conducted a thorough study for a year and submitted a detailed feasibility report on 03.04.2012; but more than a year and a half, the government sat over the report of huge public relevance and importance.
According to the feasibility study, Jammu was producing over 400 MT of solid waste every day that included 345 MT of Municipal Solid Waste, 7.20 MT of bio medical waste, 6.60 MT of Industrial waste and 1.50 MT of waste from religious activities. Given the fact that per capita MSW is assumed at 430 gms, city's collective MSW in next 10 years shall be over 562 MT while total per day solid waste exceed 1003 MT. The figures clearly indicate that in the absence of an effective waste management mechanism, city would head for a major environmental catastrophe.
Identifying serious lacunae in carrying out disposal of solid waste in the city, the Feasibility Report has pointed out that while on 70 percent of the entire municipal area is attended regularly, only 56 percent of the generated waste is collected.
The recommendations made in the feasibility report include defining and developing a strategy for waste collection and transportation; ensuring participation of public by conducting awareness programs on good waste management practices through schools, colleges, NGOs, Youth groups and direct interaction with public. |
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