With residents of a new industrial city near Delhi, India worried by the increasing proliferation of illegal dump sites, the New Oklha Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) claims that it is now reassessing sanitation arrangements, according to a report in The Times of India.
The Authority is responsible for collection of waste from residential, commercial and industrial areas. However, up until now with responsibility has mostly been shouldered by rag pickers.
NOIDA claims it has already developed a detailed garbage ‘collection, segregation and treatment’ plan, but according to the report, it does not have a single designated landfill site for the 300 tonnes of municipal waste that the city produces each day.
The result is a proliferation of illegal waste dumps can be spotted all over the city. However, NOIDA claims it is in the process of designating land for three new landfill sites “on a priority basis.”
Of the three stages of dealing with waste - segregation, collection and disposal, NOIDA has initially chosen to focus on disposal. To begin it has invited a Request For Proposal for the development of an integrated solid waste management plant.
Senior project engineer Ved Pal told The Times of India: “We have invited RFPs from interested parties for a plant that will have a capacity of treating around 300 to 500 metric tonnes of waste including bio-medical and industrial waste. The site for the plant has already been identified in Sector 123. As soon as technical formalities are completed, work will begin.”
Pal went on to explain that sanitation is one of the most pressing issues faced by the city today.
“We are also hoping to sensitize residents about the importance of proper waste management and recycling, requesting them to cooperate with the Authority at least till the complete waste management infrastructure is developed,” he added.
