BMC ropes in colleges to turn nirmalaya into organic manure…..Sharvari Patwa
The BMC has roped in various city colleges and about 800 student volunteers to collect the waste generated during the 11-day Ganapati festival. The volunteers will be collecting the nirmalaya, which consists of the flowers, decoration material, plastic and other waste generated during the visarjan.
The volunteers will be posted at Juhu beach, Dadar beach and Girgaum Chowpatty on the immersion days to collect the nirmalaya and educate the citizens on segregation and recycling of waste generated during the festival, said B P Patil, chief engineer, solid waste management department of BMC.
The civic administration said over 300 metric tonne (MT) waste could be generated during this years festival. Over 250 MT waste was generated last year, officials said.
On the first day of immersion last week, more than 40 MT waste was collected from citys beaches. When students will go to these immersion sites and educate people about waste segregation, it will be more effective, said Patil.
The participating colleges include Mithibai, Ruia, Sydenham, Jai Hind, Kirti, Walia and Institute of Science in Churchgate. Volunteers will collect nirmalaya from Ganesha mandals entering the beaches for immersion. The waste will be taken to compost sites and converted into organic manure, said Jayanti Shukla, executive director of United Way, the NGO which is organising the drive along with the civic body.
The BMC has also arranged 40 vehicles in two shifts to collect the waste and take it to the compost sites.