To appoint contractors to dump debris in outside civic limits

Mumbai: The BMC is planning to outsource the job of debris disposal. After toying with the idea of allotting space for a debris-only dumping ground in Malad, it has instead decided to appoint contractors to dump debris in low-lying areas, preferably outside civic limits.
Mumbai’s dumping grounds, on an average, receive 2,200 metric tonnes of debris every day. Several tonnes of waste lie unattended on footpaths, roads, inside storm water drains and in other open public spaces.
Each year, the corporation spends around Rs 4 crore to collect and transport debris either directly from public spaces or during desilting operations of drains prior to monsoon. “All this effort is negated since the unattended waste is washed into the storm water drains during the monsoon, resulting in blocking of the drains and consequently water logging in large parts of the city,’’ said civic officials.
The BMC’s plan to move debris out to remote areas may not be easy to put into action. If the dumping site is within corporation limits, the agency will have to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the owner of the area where the matter is dumped besides permission from the executive engineer (environment), both at the site from where the debris will be picked up and the dumping ground.
If the site is outside BMC limits, according to additional municipal commissioner in charge of solid waste management Subrat Ratho, contractors would need to obtain NOCs from authorities from that area. “This will ensure that they don’t dump the waste along the coast,’’ he said, adding that debris would not cause any environmental damage and could be used to fill up low-lying areas.
As neither the Centre nor the state has formulated any guidelines for handling such waste, the corporation has now decided to set up a framework for its management and disposal.
Under the new proposal, agencies will be appointed through a tendering process. The contractor will be allowed to charge a certain fee from the generators of debris—be they buil-ders or utility agencies. Thus, a single agency will be accountable for proper disposal of debris generated in a ward or group of wards.
The corporation has proposed that domestic debris generated during house repairs or renovation will be lifted at not more than Rs 10 for every 50 kg and, for others, the rate would be proportionate to the volume of debris collected.
The BMC will also provide temporary transit grounds that can be utilised by the contractor for 24 hours before shifting the debris to a landfill site. These sites are largely around the city’s pumping stations such as the Dharavi pumping station, civic store on Dr E Moses Road, Old Ghatkopar pumping station, Old Mulund pumping station, Marol store, Versova pumping station, Old Malad lagoon and the Charkop Sewage pumping station.
From here, the agency can dispose off the waste on the civic dumping grounds or take it outside the city’s limits. To discourage agencies from using the already over-burdened dumping grounds, the BMC plans to charge a steep tipping fee.