Segregation of waste

Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat
Recently Government of Jammu & Kashmir issued direction to all the civic bodies across state to ensure undertaking of Source Segregation of waste from April 7th. This direction comes in the backdrop of orders from the Union Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) which has directed all the state Governments especially civic bodies (Municipal Corporations , Municipal Committees and Municipal Councils) to collect waste in a segregated form from individual households and business establishment from April 7th.
What is segregated waste ?
Waste which is generated in residential houses or commercial establishments is hardly segregated in two bins. We usually dump wet and dry waste together in the garbage bins. When this garbage is lifted by Municipal authorities , they also lift it as it is and finally this mixed waste is dumped at landfill sites. This waste never decomposes as polythene , plastic and wet waste are mixed with each other. In order to ensure scientific treatment of waste , people need to segregate the waste at door steps. When civic authorities will lift it , that will be segregated waste and its treatment is very much possible through compositing or organic material and recycling of plastic / polythene based waste.
Order from HUDD :
The Housing & Urban Development Department (HUDD) J&K Government which is the administrative department of all the civic bodies in state vide its  order No: HUD /Plan /28-III/2015 Dated 29.3.2017 has directed Municipal Corporations in Srinagar / Jammu , Director Urban Local Bodies Kashmir  / Jammu and Deputy Commissioners of Leh and Kargil to ensure waste is segregated at door steps of every household , business establishments , restaurants and other similar places which generate waste. According to the order  every waste generator should start segregating their waste into two bins -green and blue. Green bin for bio degradable waste and blue for non bio degradable waste. In order to create more awareness about source  segregation  of waste  segregation Govt of India plans to organise an event across more than 4000 cities of country on the eve of World Environment Day ie June 5th this year.
Present situation of waste segregation :
In all the civic bodies of the state waste is only lifted in mixed form instead of being treated. The waste in mixed form is either dumped at identified landfill sites or is thrown at some unauthorized places. Except Municipal Committee Budgam under Director Urban Local Bodies  Kashmir , not even a single Municipal Committee , Municipal Corporation or Municipal Council is undertaking source segregation of waste, except  in Budgam town where a Non Governmental organization in association with local Municipality  is undertaking door to door waste collection , its segregation at source and composting in 5 wards of the town. A report submitted before National Green Tribunal (NGT) few years back has revealed some astonishing facts about J&K vis a vis dumping of solid waste in the state. The report says that J&K has 100 % open dumping of Municipal Solid Waste. Due to absence of scientific waste management techniques the Municipal Solid Waste is dumped in open across cities of Srinagar and Jammu along with other towns. The report was submitted by Government of India last year before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) which is an apex legal body looking after litigations related to environmental pollution. The report has ranked J&K state as 31 vis a vis management of municipal solid waste across country. Goa , Kerala and Tamil Nadu are the best three states which have proper scientific mechanism in place vis a via Management of Solid Waste. As per the report J&K neither has any facility of door to door collection of municipal solid waste , segregation nor is composting of  organic waste material done in any city or town of the state. . Due to increased population Solid Waste Management (SWM) has been seen as a great challenge in Jammu and Srinagar cities . Huge quantity of garbage gets piled up in these twin cities on daily basis.  The way this garbage is stored and disposed off, poses a great  threat to our  environment. This activity is not only a threat to our environment but it is hazardous to the public health also. The garbage disposal or Solid Waste Management  is not only a problem for Jammu or Srinagar cities  but this  is a very serious issue for the people residing in other towns of our state like Anantnag , Ramban , Udhampur , Kupwara  , Sopore, Ramban , Doda, Rajouri etc . As per the report submitted before NGT Tamil Nadu has more than 500 composting units where organic fertilizer is made out of bio degradable waste material . Similarly in other states at an average 30 to 40 such units exist, but in an environmentally fragile state of Jammu & Kashmir no such facilities are available.
Conclusion :
The Government direction to all the civic bodies across state to ensure undertaking of Source Segregation of waste from April 7 is indeed a welcome step . We hope all our municipal bodies will implement this in toto and by June 5th this year at least 50 % of our municipal authorities should be undertaking source segregation of waste. Divisional Commissioner Kashmir,  Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation and Director Local Bodies Kashmir are showing their seriousness towards source segregation of waste. On the direction of Chief Minister SMC is already segregating waste in few wards of civil lines from last few months .
Similarly after 5 wards of Budgam town  Director Local Bodies Kashmir is now planning to undertake source segregation of waste in around 6 to 7 Municipal Committees / Councils of Kashmir valley. We hope Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and Director Local Bodies Jammu should also explore possibilities of creating some models where waste segregation and its treatment could  be undertaken. Non Government Organisations (NGOs) should also play their role and come forward to create awareness among public to motivate them to segregate the waste. School children and house wives should be trained to segregate the waste. Once waste is segregated at doorsteps , it is duty of the civic bodies to lift the same in segregated form and not  mix it again in their garbage carrying vehicles. The segregated waste should be unloaded at two different locations for further treatment (composting and recycling). Government must also explore methods to treat non Biodegradable waste by installing such  machines in different cities and towns across the state.
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