The National Green Tribunal-appointed high-level committee has ordered a pilot project to be launched in Delhi to install GPS devices in waste collection vehicles and monitor them in Delhi’s west zone and Dwarka areas. This move is aimed at improving the management and disposal of municipal solid waste in the city.
The first meeting of the committee, which is headed by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, was held on April 25, during which the decision to launch the pilot project was taken. The committee also decided to increase the number of waste collection vehicles and install GPS devices in all of them for better monitoring.
In addition to this, the committee has directed officials to submit a report with photographs every day to ensure proper waste management and disposal. The pilot project is expected to provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of GPS monitoring in waste collection and will help in scaling up the initiative across the city.
During the meeting, the committee also discussed the progress made in biomining and disposal of legacy waste in Delhi. It was informed that with the LG’s interventions, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had substantially picked up the pace of biomining and disposal of legacy waste, which was being carried out at an average rate of 1.4 lakh metric tonnes (MT) per month between October 2019 and May 2022.
From June to December 2022, the rate reached an average of 6 lakh MT per month, and subsequently, interventions like integrated tenders for biomining, transportation, and disposal have led to a current average of about 7.5 lakh MT of waste being disposed of every month, with a daily average of about 25,000 MT at the three legacy waste sites at Bhalswa, Ghazipur, and Okhla.
To further improve waste management, the committee has decided to implement a revised ward-wise action plan and the MCD has been asked to submit the name of the concerned officer within 10 days to achieve 100 percent waste segregation.
The committee has also directed the additional divisional railway manager to immediately resolve the issue of solid waste lifting alongside railway tracks with the MCD. With these measures, the committee aims to improve the cleanliness and sanitation in Delhi, which has been a major concern for the citizens of the city.