Adopting the Tsunami Model, the North Zone of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has removed 213 Garbage Vulnerable Points and beautified these zones with Rangoli, wall paintings and by organising various social events, says J Shankaraiah, Zonal Commissioner – North, GHMC, in conversation with Biswajit Sahoo of Elets News Network (ENN).
North Zone of GHMC is populous, industrialised and housing major institutions like Secunderabad Cantonment Board, Secunderabad Railway Junction etc. What strategies have you adopted for waste management?
Apart from Secunderabad Cantonment Board, Railway Junctions, the North Zone of GHMC comprises Balanagar Industrial Area, Alwal, Malkajgiri and surrounding areas. North Zone also has high number of slums under GHMC. Hence, our waste management strategy primarily revolves around institutional and residential mobilisation.
“We have declared 19 wards out of 26 wards as Open Defecation Free wards. North Zone has also constructed 550 Individual Household Latrine (IHHL) so far”.
We have ensured 100 per cent door-to-door garbage collection and source segregation by engaging swachh community resource persons to monitor the activity. All the garbage collection from colonies and slums are linked with 331 numbers of Swachh Auto Tippers (SATs). At least 500-600 households are allotted to each SAT. We ensure zero displacement of garbage in North Zone with active participation of key stakeholders.
What have been the key achievements of North Zone in terms of waste management practices?
The North Zone of GHMC initiated maximum citizen outreach programme for door-to-door mobilisation through motorbike rallies and bicycle rallies. With the help of ward corporators, GHMC involved all the elected representatives, business associations, schools, educational institutions, trade and industry associations, and NGOs in the sensitisation campaign.
Instead of heavy vehicles, motorbike and bicycle are used for micro level monitoring of sanitation and solid waste management practices. Garbage collection form homes were encouraged and Resident Welfare Associations have taken the onus of waste collection and SATs are engaged to transport it to the nearest transfer section. As a result, the North Zone of GHMC stood first with 89.57 per cent in the swachh self-assessment on the parameters of garbage pick-up, restriction of open defecation practice, segregation of solid waste at source and introduction of house composting. We have removed 213 Garbage Vulnerable Points by adopting Tsunami model of GHMC and beautified these zones with rangoli, wall paintings and by organising various social events.
Have you integrated any other plans in the cleanliness drive?
One of the major benchmarks in cleanliness under Swachh Bharat Mission is restriction of open defecation. North Zone is leading on this front also. We have declared 19 wards out of 26 wards as Open Defecation Free wards. North Zone has also constructed 550 Individual Household Latrine (IHHL) so far. It is also constructing another 600 IHHL. This will also help in reducing wastes and choking of open nullahs.
Is there any participation from private institutions or corporate in the sanitation drive?
We have engaged nine swachh Community Resource Persons from the best self-help groups operating in this zone and rewarded them with cash incentives of Rs 10,000 each first time in GHMC. ITC group also joined GHMC through its ITC – WOW vertical in establishing Dry Resource centres.
The group will also help the RWAs in streamlining transportation of dry waste to Dry Resource Centres to be established under Swachh campaign. Several corporate hospitals like Yashoda, KIMS and Sunshine are also helping GHMC through their Corporate Social Responsibility activities in health screening of sanitary workers in the zone.
Further, GHMC in North Zone has also established a new garbage transfer station at Sanjeevaih Park and are constructing a new plant at Gajinaballu to address the construction and debris issue of the zone.