Pune: After Moshi Garbage Depot Tragedy, PCMC Targets Bulk Waste Generators In Pimpri-Chinchwad

Pimpri-Chinchwad: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has started a citywide drive to identify and register establishments generating more than 100 kg of waste every day. The move aims to reduce pressure on the city's waste management system following the Moshi garbage depot accident and promote waste processing at source.

The Health Department is reaching out to large housing societies, hotels, hospitals, educational institutions, offices, commercial establishments, markets and vegetable bazaars. Civic staff are visiting these establishments and collecting details of their daily waste generation. The move is part of PCMC's wider push towards decentralised waste management, under which waste is segregated and processed closer to where it is generated instead of sending large quantities to a single facility.

PCMC begins survey of bulk waste generators

Establishments generating more than 100 kg of waste per day are classified as bulk waste generators (BWGs). PCMC officials are creating a database of such establishments and informing them about waste management rules and the registration process.

BWGs are required to register on the Central Pollution Control Board's online portal. The Health Department has appealed to establishments and citizens to cooperate with municipal teams visiting their premises and provide the required information.

PCMC is also stressing the need to segregate waste into four categories: wet, dry, sanitary and special-care waste. The civic body wants wet waste to be processed scientifically at source wherever possible to reduce the amount of waste transported to centralised facilities.

Moshi accident puts waste system under pressure

The drive comes nearly three months after the deadly accident at the Moshi garbage depot. On July 8, a section of the garbage mound collapsed during heavy rain and fell on the administrative building of a waste-to-energy plant, killing nine people.

The accident disrupted waste handling in Pimpri-Chinchwad and highlighted the city's dependence on the Moshi facility for managing a large volume of its daily waste.

Pimpri-Chinchwad generates around 1,400 to 1,500 metric tonnes of waste every day. The accident and subsequent restrictions at Moshi forced the civic administration to look for alternative ways to handle the city's waste.

The civic body has since identified several municipal plots for decentralised processing facilities in different parts of the city. However, the proposed locations have faced opposition from local residents and corporators.

The number of proposed locations has changed during the planning process, with different proposals involving seven, 10 and 12 sites reported at various stages.

Focus shifts to waste processing at source

PCMC officials say creating decentralised facilities alone will not solve the city's waste problem. Large waste generators will also have to take greater responsibility for the waste produced at their premises.

"Managing waste right at its source is the need of the hour. Bulk waste generators must prioritise all three aspects: segregation, processing and registration. If waste is not handled properly, it adversely impacts health and the environment. Scientific management of waste is essential," said PCMC Health Department Deputy Commissioner Dr Pradeep Thengal.

Thengal said an independent agency would also be appointed to survey establishments and assist with the registration process. PCMC introduced four-way waste segregation in the city earlier this year. The system requires waste to be separated into wet, dry, sanitary and hazardous or special-care categories.

The latest survey is expected to give the civic administration clearer data on where large quantities of waste are generated and how much waste individual establishments handle. The information will help PCMC plan decentralised processing facilities and reduce the amount of waste transported to Moshi.

With the garbage depot facing continued pressure and opposition to new processing sites, the civic administration is focusing on creating more decentralised processing capacity and ensuring that major waste generators manage more of their waste at source.