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Pune Waste Pilot Ends Abruptly Amidst Concerns
28 Jun
Summary
- Pune Municipal Corporation discontinued Kasba-Bhavani Zero Waste Pilot on June 30.
- Concerns over project implementation, garbage spots, and expenditure led to the halt.
- SWaCH warns of disruption to services for nearly 20,000 households.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has officially ended its Kasba-Bhavani Zero Waste Pilot project on June 30. This decision followed discussions in a general body meeting on June 22, where corporators raised significant concerns about the project's operational effectiveness, the continued presence of garbage sites, and its overall expenditure.
Launched on January 19 in Kasba and Bhavani Peth, the pilot aimed to enhance decentralized waste management and extend doorstep collection. However, due to these raised concerns, the PMC has instructed SWaCH, a waste pickers association, to halt additional services associated with the pilot.
SWaCH has expressed apprehension regarding the abrupt discontinuation, warning that it could disrupt waste collection for about 20,000 households. They also highlighted that daily garbage collection in slum areas, a key achievement of the pilot, might cease. The organization urged PMC to integrate the newly recruited waste pickers into sanitation efforts to protect livelihoods and ensure service continuity.
Following the pilot's closure, the PMC will reassume direct responsibility for waste collection in the affected areas from June 30. The Vishrambaug Wada-Kasba ward office area alone will require an additional 292 waste pickers to manage the workload for its 154,636 properties.
