The Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) neighbouring Mumbai has become the first civic body in Maharashtra to make mandatory segregation of solid and wet waste at source and has warned that water supply would be discontinued if the orders are not complied with.
MBMC Commissioner Achyut Hange said the civic body is aggressively working in accordance with the 'Swachh Bharat' Mission and has thus decided to keep the city clean and open defecation free.
"As a part of Swachh Bharat Mission, we are creating awareness among people about segregation of solid and wet waste disposal. We have a dumping ground on 65 acres of land in Uttan. Also, around 35 acres of land has been allotted at Sakwan near Mira-Bhayandar, 65 km away from Mumbai," Hange said.
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He added that usually, hotel owners do not segregate waste at source despite the corporation having vehicles to collect it.
"The same case is with housing societies. To inculcate a habit of cleanliness and curtail the burden on dumping grounds, we have asked them to dispose wet waste in the corporation vehicle and scrap solid waste like glass, plastic and tin items with scrap dealers," the civic chief said.
"If they fail to do it, we will disconnect water supply of such hotels and housing societies," Hange added.
However, the official added that a caveat about disconnecting water supply would not be immediately possible as people are not getting sufficient drinking water due to a water crises.
Mira-Bhayandar gets water supply from two sources including Shahad Temghar Water Authority (STEM) and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).
"STEM provides 86 MLD water whereas MIDC provides 50 MLD water. MIDC has applied a cut of 30 per cent due to a shortage of water and the water cut would be increased in April-May," he said, adding that thus cutting of water supply would not happen till June this year.
"But I am firm on my decision (to disconnect water
supply) and this will be implemented from June 1 for people's own good. We do not need an approval of the General Body or the Standing Committee of the Corporation," the Commissioner said.
He further said that he is considering implementing scientific recycling of waste at dumping grounds.
"An agency has already made a presentation in this regard," Hange said.
STEM is a consortium of three municipal corporations of Thane, Bhiwandi-Nizampur and Mira-Bhayandar.
