After failing to dispose of garbage manually, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has turned to technology to keep the city clean. It will use Google Maps to aid garbage collection.
Under a pilot project that will be launched on October 1, pourakarmikas will collect garbage from designated routes at allotted timings every day.
Initially, the project will be implemented in Malleswaram, Rajajinagar, Mahalakshmi Layout, Gandhinagar and Govindarajnagar.
About two lakh houses are located in these areas. According to BBMP Additional Commissioner (West) K N Chandrashekar, route maps of these areas are taken with the help of Geographic Information System (GIS).
“Using the maps, lanes/ streets with 100 to 125 houses will be selected, which will be identified as a single block. Each block will be managed by one pourakarmika, who will collect the segregated waste,” he said.
Chandrashekar said that each pourakarmika will be given a pushcart which will have three bins, coluredblue, green and black. Dry waste, wet waste and rejected waste like sanitary waste will be collected in these bins respectively. After collecting the garbage, pourakarmikas will assemble at a designated place at the time allotted to them. Two autos for wet and dry waste will collect the waste from pourakarmikas.
Later, the auto carrying the wet waste will be taken to the garbage compactor and the other auto will be taken to the segregation centre at ward level. Chandrashekar said, “Before implementing the project, we need to be well equipped. We are buying the necessary equipment for the project.”
In the next five days, the number of pourakarmikas required for the process and garbage collection centres will be identified, he said. Chandrashekar said that they will form teams comprising environment engineers, health inspectors and members of resident welfare associations to create awareness about segregation of waste.
If the public are not sensitised, the project will not be successful, he opined. Also, the pourakarmikas and other officials will be trained for the project, he said.