Pimpri: The solid waste segregation drive launched by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has not gained momentum even after two months of its launch. Considering the progress the civic body has made till date, it has a long way to go to achieve its target of segregating at least 30 per cent of the total garbage by the first week of August.
Owing to a lack of response from citizens, the PCMC has succeeded in segregating around 33 metric tonnes of wet waste and 14 metric tonnes of dry garbage. Over 750 metric tonnes of waste is generated in the city daily and the percentage of the segregated garbage is merely about 7 per cent.
The PCMC has not implemented innovative ideas to spread awareness among citizens. So far, the highest segregated wet waste collection was 33 tonnes, while it was 14 tonnes for dry waste last Sunday.
The PCMC launched the drive to segregate wet and dry waste within its jurisdiction on World Environment Day, on June 5. Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar took the initiative and involved politicians cutting across party lines in the drive.
However, it failed to create a buzz in the city. Many civic activists and NGOs are also participating in the awareness campaign. However, citizens have not shown interest in the issue, which is considered as one of the biggest challenges.
Civic activist Amol Deshpande said, “The PCMC needs to adopt innovative ways to reach out to the people. It should use the existing mode of communication. PCMC’s SARATHI helpline should be upgraded so that people get information about waste segregation. People are willing to segregate waste but they have several doubts about this, which must be clarified.”
According to the activist, the civic administration should send SMSes to people, publish advertisements in newspapers and broadcast jingles on radio and in cinema halls. The civic body can also use social media for creating awareness about segregation of waste, Deshpande said.
