Mumbai: Four years after bagging the prestigious SKOCH-Order-of -Merit Award for successfully implementing green manure conversion by optimizing Nirmalya (floral offerings), the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) seems to have simply turned its back on the mini vermi-compost project located at the Jesal Park waterfront in Bhayandar (east).
As per traditions ritual offerings mostly flowers and garlands are immersed in water bodies. However, realizing that the extensive use of plastic bags along with Nirmalya had turned into a major cause of water pollution in the creek, the MBMC mooted the project in 2018 aimed at disposing the offerings in a graceful, eco-friendly and above all productive manner.
Security guards were deployed at the waterfront who started dissuading people from immersing the floral remains into the creek. The initiative met with a positive response and people started depositing the remains into the Nirmalya Kalash (ornamental pot) provided by the civic body.
An in-house team comprising sanitary inspectors and conservancy workers designed the mini vermicompost plant which started converting floral waste into organic manure. After segregating the Nirmalya at source, the remains were treated in the composting pits and the MBMC started producing around 1.5 tonnes of compost per month from an average of 50 kg Nirmalya it received every day.
The bulk of the generated manure is used as a fertilizer at all municipal gardens. However, the production gradually began decreasing for the past more than a year and is now pegged at less than 500 kg.
“The quantity of floral remains which we earlier received has drastically decreased owing to lack of security personnel as people tend to dump the remains in the creek and also a nearby drain. Moreover, we are not getting worms which are crucial to produce vermicomposting.” said a conservancy worker requesting anonymity.
“I will personally look into the issue and do the needful at the earliest,” assured deputy civic chief- Maruti Gaikwad who has recently taken charge of the concerned department. Instituted in 2013, the SKOCH Award, recognizes people, projects and institutions that go the extra mile to make India a better nation.
The MBMC had bagged the award for the small but significant step to turn Nirmalya into a life promoting substance. Notably, the pilot project which was started during the period to grow a variety of vegetables in the vicinity by using the manure is also in limbo.
