Page 59 - Clean India Journal Magazine June 2019 Issue

WASTE SOLUTIONS

It is a beautiful dream come true. No

resident objected to the construction
of a biogas plant in the middle of
their area; the project was financed
and executed by the residents’

association, and then handed over to
the municipal corporation.

biogas within 30-45 days of Its secretary Madhu Poplai objected to the construction of
commencing operations. said that when municipal laws a biogas plant in the middle
“Until now,” says Bhand, making the composting of all of their area; the project was
“our focus was on the organic waste compulsory financed and executed by
development of technology; came into place, she was the residents’ association,
now we are looking at against the concept. Getting and then handed over to the
providing integrated solutions residents to compost waste municipal corporation. Seeing
at both the technical and system in their own compounds was their enthusiasm, Yasasu
planning level. Because if you an almost impossible task also decided to perform all
have proper plant processing as they were apprehensive Operations and Maintenance
but poor collection and of the smell, and breeding related activities for three
transport of waste, your plant is of mosquitoes. When she years, and train the people
communicated this to the
who would keep the plant
bound to fail. And if you have ward officer, he offered running. Poplai says, “it is a
good collection and transport an alternative: a village in beautiful dream come true”
but an inefficient plant, your Talegaon near Pune had while Bhand replies, “we
plant site will become another installed a biogas plant. Polai couldn’t have done it without
landfill.” and the ward officer visited them”.
the site; Poplai was unhappy
As mentioned earlier, it
The Pali Hill Model with the aesthetics of the is critical that all waste be
Pali Hill is an upmarket plant, and wanted it to be segregated, and only the
area in the Mumbai suburb packaged better. They visited biodegradable component be
of Bandra. Its 1700 residents, another project which used delivered to the plant. The
living in 78 buildings and 23 biogas to generate electricity Solid Waste Management
bungalows spread across a for streetlights, and something (SWM) workers had been
1.4sqkm area, have organised clicked. used to earning between
themselves into the Pali Hill With the support of `300-700 per month from
Residents’ Association, which local politicians and in a selling dry waste; not only
is proactive in dealing with roundabout manner, Poplai did the residents’ association
the Municipal Corporation of came into contact with educate residents about how
Greater Mumbai in all civic Bhand, whom she had and why to segregate their
matters. spoken to earlier. No resident household waste, it also paid

Clean India Journal
www.cleanindiajournal.com 59
June 2019