NGO report on solid waste nails misinformation in BMC claims

An RTI by Praja Foundation found waste collected in Mumbai to be 7,582 MTD in 2022, contradicting BMC?s claim of 6,300 MTD. The report also highlights degraded air quality and insufficient sewage treatment. The BMC is yet to update its SWM by-laws to match the central government?s revision of the Municipal Solid Waste Rules, 2000.

Mumbai: In contradiction to the BMC’s Environmental Status Report, which claimed that waste collection from the city was 6,300 metric tonnes per day (MTD), an RTI by an NGO, Praja Foundation, found waste collected to be 7,582 MTD in 2022. This marks a nine percent increase from 2020 to 2022. While the BMC report says that 700 MTD was sent to the Deonar dumping ground, the RTI showed that the amount is 2,065 MTD. The rest is sent to the dumping ground at Kanjurmarg.

HT Image

The Praja Foundation’s annual report on the Status of Civic Issues in Mumbai, released on Tuesday, concentrates on the areas of solid waste management (SWM), sewage, air and water pollution.

The BMC is dragging its heels on updating its SWM by-laws to match the central government’s revision of the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000. After notification of the SWM rules (in 2016), the BMC is expected to reframe by-laws within a year. Its delay has let half the bulk-waste generator societies (those generating over 100 kg of waste daily) escape processing their wet waste at source, as they are supposed to under the updated rules. Despite the BMC issuing a circular in 2017 ordering them to set up biodegradable waste composting units, it has not been entirely effective.

“The BMC should scale the SWM project in the F/S ward to all councillor wards, which can successfully achieve the goal of zero waste sent to landfills,” said Yogesh Mishra, head of research and analysis at the foundation.

The report highlights that 1,972 million litres of sewage is produced by the city every day. This is treated by eight sewage treatment plants (STPs) but is not sufficient, as the treated output from the Malad STP recorded a biochemical oxygen demand of 137.44 mg/lt: much higher than the prescribed limit of 20 mg/lt set by the Central Pollution Control Board. City beaches and the Mithi river suffer from the same affliction, polluted as they are by untreated sewage and/or surface pollution.

The report says air quality has degraded in the past year. The air quality on every day in December 2022 and January 2023 was consistently under poor levels for the first time in five years. The winter months are known to have the poorest air quality, with the average air quality index (AQI) in the past December at 210 and January at 205.

The report also tracks the complaints coming in through the centralised complaint registration system, calls to 1916, through the MYBMC 24x7 app, website and submitted written complaints at ward offices. The total for 2022 rests at 1,04,068. The highest number of complaints were to do with drainage, closely followed by buildings and licenses. Over the past decade, SWM, licensing and water supply have gathered the maximum number of complaints. SWM complaints, in particular, have seen a 124 percent increase.