Navi Mumbai starts to clean up after itself

Tough love is what the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation NMMC seems to be practising It has stopped collecting garbage from societies within its limits to get residents to start segregating and composting their own waste While holding workshops to educate them about the same it has set November 15 as the deadline for societies to start doing this on their own failing which they will face further action It recently issued notices to 500odd societies and also held meetings with residential welfare associationsNMMC has been holding workshops to teach residents how to segregate and compost wasteClean and greenDeputy Municipal Commissioner Tushwar Pawar said that last year too they had issued notices to societies about segregating garbage This year after Diwali we issued notices again to around 500 societies most of them highrises that generate more than 100 kg waste daily Its mandatory for all societies to find ways and sources to compost dry waste he addedPawar further said there were more than 4500 societies within the corporation limits Along with societies we have also sent notices to 22 hotels We started holding workshops after Diwali to teach them how to turn waste into compost and how it will help them in the future he saidAs of now only 60 per cent of the total garbage in Navi Mumbai is segregated which is proving to be a big hindrance in improving its rank in the clean city list prepared by the Government of India NMMCs steps are to that endThe civic body collects around 650 metric tons of garbage daily of which around 200 metric tons is wet waste It plans to put up 100odd bins for collecting ewaste across the city another of its efforts to become the cleanest city of IndiaOn a war footingPawar said the situation was worse in slums and gaothans with residents least bothered or aware about segregation So after the societies our target is the 48 gaothans and 48 slums that fall within NMMCs limits We are also conducting street plays to educate the masses about the segregation processMayor Sudhakar Sonawane said We arent forcing people to follow the process but they should know by now what the situation in the near future will be if dry and wet waste is dumped together in the dumping ground same as that in Mumbai In the workshop we are trying to explain to people how within their own homes 1 kg waste is collected daily and how they can recycle it turn it into manure The workshop teaches how one can carry out composting within ones house near the kitchen or balcony or within the society premisesIssuing notices to societies doesnt mean we will take preemptive action we are just following the due process and pushing them to lend support to the corporation so that everyone can have access to cleaner and greener surroundings The corporation cant do it alone citizens need to do their bit as well he addedAt a workshop organised at Vishnudas Bhave Natyagruha on Saturday NMMC Commissioner N Ramaswami said Navi Mumbai should aim to be a zero garbage cityAlso view Photos 10 of the worlds heaviest people and their drastic weight loss