Trash cans outside homes a hazard: E Delhi residents

The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has placed the bins as part of its ongoing ‘zero dhalao’ (local dump yards or garbage collection points) initiative.

Residents of cooperative group housing societies in Mayur Vihar Phase -1 (Extension) have opposed the civic body installing large open trash cans outside the gates of some of these compounds, arguing that they may pose health hazards.

According to civic officials, the bins are cleared regularly. There were around 300 dhalaos in the EDMC area, of which 44 have been closed. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has placed the bins as part of its ongoing ‘zero dhalao’ (local dump yards or garbage collection points) initiative. The civic body has, over the past two years, resolved to free the area under its jurisdiction of these dhalaos by gradually coming up with an alternative for bulk waste collection and shutting these three-walled points one by one.

“It has been a few days since two of these unwieldy bins were placed at the gates of our society. Besides being a breeding ground for mosquitoes at this time of the year, when dengue and malaria tend to spread, stray animals have now started gathering at our gates,” said Aditi, a resident of Samachar Apartments, one of the compounds outside which bins have been placed.

She added that there are around 250 households within the society and that dumping the waste from all of these homes will turn the bins into a dumpyard, and defeat the purpose of the civic body’s initiative.

“Civic officials told us that garbage will be lifted from these bins thrice a day on a regular basis. However, it is only once a day that they do manage to lift the waste and on days when it’s raining like the day before, it keeps rotting there,” she said.

Residents also said the civic body did not have a fixed schedule to lift the waste.

“Even though the bins have not come up in front of our society yet, having them right at the entrance with all this volume of waste is not a great alternative. Once these are full, the stench will be unbearable and the situation may be even worse than dhalaos” said Sanjay Gupta, a resident of Nirman Apartments.

According to civic officials, the bins are cleared regularly. There were around 300 dhalaos in the EDMC area, of which 44 have been closed.

“According to the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Rules, which were notified in 2018, group housing societies are categorised as bulk waste generators and are supposed to segregate as well as process their own waste. However, despite issuing notices to many housing societies for not segregating wet and dry waste, they continue to dump their waste as it is. The bins have been placed as a temporary arrangement and our concessionaire is lifting waste from the bins regularly,” said a senior official, who didn’t wish to be named.

EDMC mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal said that these bins can be used by passersby as well and are a part of the plan to shut dhalaos gradually. “Waste is lifted both from the dhalaos as well as the bins. Soon, we plan to come up with at least 40 more compacter plants to segregate and recycle the waste,” he said.