GHMC’s Source Segregation Model Inspires Swachh Bharat Mission

N Ravi Kiran

The entire area of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has been divided into five zones and 30 circles to implement and monitor the sanitation and waste management process. GHMC has heavily promoted this source segregation models through real and virtual campaigns, says N Ravi Kiran, Additional Commissioner, Health and Sanitation, GHMC, in conversation with Biswajit Sahoo of Elets News Network (ENN).

What is the approach of GHMC for Sanitation and Solid Waste Management in Hyderabad?

Hyderabad is India’s fourth largest city and famous for its rich history, food, multi-lingual culture and trade. With time, Hyderabad has transformed itself as a major Global IT hub of India and offers superior urban infrastructure facilities and basic amenities to its citizens. In the quest to maintain its vibrant civic culture, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation gives paramount importance to sanitation, cleanliness and waste management.

“GHMC has developed an inclusive development model to ensure garbage collection at each doorstep of the city through engagement of 2,000 Swachh Auto Tippers as owner-cumoperator model.”

The twin city of Hyderabad and Secunderabad along with sub-urban territories under GHMC generates over 5,500 metric tonnes of waste daily, based on its estimated population of over 80 lakhs and floating population of 20 lakhs. GHMC has a robust process in place as per the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules 2000 and 2016. GHMC has introduced door-todoor collection of garbages from household as a mega sanitation and cleanliness drive.

The programme was launched by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in 2015. In two years, the programme has become huge success and enrolled 20 lakh households including slums in door-to-door collection of garbage. GHMC has introduced the waste segregation model at source by giving two bins to each household for dry and solid waste.

We have also introduced model of Dry Resource Centres (DRC) and eliminated almost 1,600 garbage vulnerable points across community and residential areas under this model.

Various initiatives by GHMC to eliminate Garbage Vulnerable Points in Hyderabad

What are the mobilisation strategies of GHMC with various stakeholders on Waste Management?

GHMC has developed an inclusive development model to ensure garbage collection at each doorstep of the city through engagement of 2,000 Swachh Auto Tippers as owner-cum-operator model. These auto drivers were earlier engaged in collecting garbage from their locality in tricycle and now financially assisted by GHMC to source and transfer the garbages to transfer sites.

The entire area of GHMC has been divided into five zones and 30 circles to implement and monitor the sanitation and waste management process. GHMC has heavily promoted this source segregation models through real and virtual campaigns. GHMC has engaged with Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) through its massive outreach programme to mobilise support and change every household attitude towards waste.

RWAs were made responsible for the upkeep and waste disposal at each apartment or society level from which swachh workers will take it further to transfer station level. Garbage Vulnerable Points are replaced with wall paintings, street beautifications, public festivals and city plantations. GHMC also introduced MyGHMC mobile app to promote and monitor the programme through active participation of its stakeholders.

In the recent survey of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), Hyderabad was ranked 22nd in cleanliness indices. What are the lessons learnt?

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has initiated several steps towards Swachh City under the guidance of K T Rama Rao, Minister, Municipal Administration and Urban Development. Hyderabad has been ranked as No. one among all the metro cities in the recent survey of SBM apart from its overall ranking. GHMC is the first Corporation in the country which has introduced twin bin system at source for waste segregation, Tsunami model for waste management and Swachh Auto Tippers for inclusive development. These models are now promulgated by Swachh Bharat Mission in other Urban Local Bodies.

Similarly, GHMC has adopted these swachh survey indices of SBM for the ranking of best Swachh Resident Welfare Associations. United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations (UFERWAS) has been formed to assess GHMC initiatives and RWAs involvement in waste management to promote citizen groups’ active participation in cleanliness drive of Hyderabad.

What are the future plans of GHMC to make this waste management practice more sustainable?

GHMC plans to add 500 new Swachh Auto Tippers to expand its garbage collection activities to newer residential colonies. GHMC is also planning to add 18 state-of-the-art mechanical and vacuum cleaning sweeping machines for effective sweeping. To maintain the city’s image as a clean city, GHMC also introduced  a mechanised transport wing with 37 refuse compactors with cutting edge technologies.

Waste composting at home is also being promoted in several RWAs. This year onwards, GHMC plans to start commercial waste management at hotels and establishments. It will also adopt the SBM guidelines on decentralised composting biomechanisation within GHMC.

The new mantra in Public Health segment is Zero Landfill Future. GHMC has initiated some commendable steps in this regard. Can you elaborate?

Under this drive, GHMC is focusing the segregation of dry waste at source. To implement this programme, GHMC has collaborated with corporates like Ramky, ITC, Godrej where they will bring in technology and knowledge to run the Swachh centres. The corporate partners will sensitise the RWAs for source segregation and bringing the dry waste to the nearest Dry Resource Centres built by them. The corporate partners will be also be responsible to recycle the dry waste collected from these Swachh centres called as Dry Resource Centres. Hence, there will be no further waste transfer to the land fill sites. GHMC plans to establish at least 100 such Swachh centres this year to drive this programme.

GHMC also encourages active participation of all its stakeholders in the waste management process so as to make this city clean, vibrant and lively.

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