HYDERABAD:The Secunderabad Cantonment Board’s plan for waste segregation and treatment appears to be heading nowhere. Months after the SCB announced the plan - which is similar to the solid waste management plan followed in Panaji - no action has been taken to implement the same.
“It might take some more time to implement the waste segregation and management policy. We are following the Panaji model where five bins are used for different types of waste generated. But before implementing it, we have to study it thoroughly. We will visit Panaji this month to study the model and prepare a preliminary report,” said SCB vice-president S Keshava Reddy.
The SCB was forced to come up with waste management plan after people living near Turkapally and surrounding areas complained about the unbearable stench emanating from a nearby dumpyard.
According to SCB officials, more than 130 tonnes of waste is generated per day in the cantonment area. The waste is collected by about 18 garbage vehicles and dumped at Turkapally dumpyard.
“At Turkapally, trenches to the depth of 20 ft are dug and the waste is deposited in it and covered with soil. As a result, non-biodegradable waste like plastic and other hazardous substances leach, polluting the groundwater. People keep complaining about it. Even we know that this is not healthy but there is no option. Therefore, we have come up with the idea of solid waste management policy and will try to expedite it,” said Keshava Reddy.