A 21-member study group from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore visited the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) on Monday to study its wastewater and solid waste management systems. “The delegation were explained in detail about the city's innovative approaches and technological advancements in urban sanitation,” a NMMC official said.
The group toured key infrastructure projects, including the Koparkhairane ecological park developed on a closed landfill, a cleanliness park, the Miyawaki urban forest, and an advanced sewage treatment plant (STP) using Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) technology. They also examined the tertiary treatment plant (TTP), which purifies water in three stages for non-drinking purposes, and the innovative waste-to-wealth ‘Aspirational Toilet’. Additionally, they studied the flap gate system on holding ponds, essential for emergency water management.
Deputy Municipal Commissioner of Solid Waste Management, Dr Santosh Warule, welcomed the delegation, led by IIM Indore’s Deputy General Manager of the Academic Department, Rahul Bhat. He provided insights into NMMC’s sanitation and waste management strategies, addressing queries from the study group, which included environmental experts and engineers from various cities.
Navi Mumbai, along with Indore and Surat, is part of the prestigious ‘Super Swachh League’ in the Swachh Survekshan rankings, recognized for its exceptional cleanliness and waste management initiatives. ‘Several study group members praised the city's adoption of modern technology and best practices, calling it a model for other urban centers.
“Their main survey was about ‘used-water management’. They observed the STP and TTP and appreciated our plants. The delegate had engineers from various states who were here to learn the best practices which could be implemented at their respective states. They mainly asked questions regarding waste segregation mechanism and waste collection mechanisms,” DMC Dr Warule said.
