Waste meets manpower crunch; Lko garbage collection takes a hit

The Shivri facility received only 1,126 metric tonnes on Monday through 132 vehicles. This marked a shortfall of 874 metric tonnes against its normal daily intake

Diwali brought an additional burden of firecracker waste and festive garbage to Lucknow, but the city’s waste collection system struggled to keep pace as sanitation workers went on leave, leaving garbage accumulated at key locations across the city and reducing the quantity of waste reaching the Shivri processing plant by nearly 44% on November 9.

For representation only (HT File Photo)

The Shivri facility received only 1,126 metric tonnes on Monday through 132 vehicles. This marked a shortfall of 874 metric tonnes against its normal daily intake.

An official of Lucknow Swachhta Abhiyan (LSA), one of the private agencies handling sanitation operations in the city, told Hindustan Times on condition of anonymity that around 150 workers remained on leave on November 9. Their absence affected the deployment of sanitation staff and garbage collection vehicles, reducing the quantity of waste transported to the plant.

By 3 pm on November 10, only 30 vehicles had reached the Shivri facility, carrying around 829 metric tonnes of waste. The final quantity for the day could change as more vehicles reach the plant.

While households and markets continued to generate waste during Diwali, the reduced availability of sanitation workers and collection vehicles affected its transportation to the processing facility.

Hindustan Times made repeated attempts to contact officials of Lions Enviro, the other private agency responsible for sanitation operations in three zones of the city, but they remained unavailable for comment.