Vasant Vihar is one of the chosen wards, in New Delhi South Zone, by MCD for conversion into “zero waste” colony. A “zero waste” colony is one where all the colony waste is treated within the colony and no waste goes to a landfill. Presently, the waste collected in Vasant Vihar is brought to the dhalaos, where it is segregated and thereafter moved to the waste processing outfits or dumped at the landfills.
Multi agencies are operating in the colony – each following its own model for collection and disposal of waste despite it being the responsibility of MCD. Also, there are number of self-employed Operators who bring waste collected from the colonies on the periphery of Vasant Vihar and dump it in the dhalaos after segregation.
The process of segregating the waste at the dhalaos creates unhygienic living conditions for the residents living in its vicinity.
It is high time the dhalaos are closed and that will be possible only when the waste is directly transported to the waste processing plants for processing the waste for reuse.
The action must begin at the individual level for segregation of the waste at its source of generation into dry and wet waste and neatly packed into biodegradable disposable bags/containers before handing over to the waste collection agency.
Adequate infrastructure needs to be created for inhouse processing of the waste. The responsibility for creation of the said infrastructure lies with MCD. Till such time the inhouse infrastructure is created by MCD in the colony, MCD should reinforce the existing fleet of garbage collection vehicles and manpower for expeditious transportation of the segregated waste to the nearby waste processing units directly.
Strict waste handling and waste disposal measures needs to be enforced. SOPs be formulated for disposal of hazardous, biomedical, construction and demolition waste. All markets and commercial outfits needs to be brought under the ambit.
The onus lies with the VVWA as the representative body of the residents to formulate the action plan and procedures and set the ball rolling in consultation with the civic authorities, for achieving “zero waste” target.
