Hyderabad is experiencing a garbage crisis, as are other metropolitan cities. This isn’t unique, given the rapid expansion of cities with growing populations and the tardy progress in addressing civic and municipal issues. Telangana’s capital generates about 8,000 tonnes of waste daily, and it is taken to the only dump yard currently operational at Jawahar Nagar. Out of this, 60-70 percent is processed by a couple of waste-to-energy plants. The rest, one can only imagine. The plight of residents in nearby colonies has been getting worse because of continuous air pollution and bad odour.
The fact that Jawahar Nagar has been the go-to destination for waste since the early 1990s tells a sorry story. New dumping yards ought to have been identified, at least after the bifurcation of the state a decade ago. This is not to say the powers that be weren’t aware of the ticking time bomb. As happens so often, plans haven’t kept pace with the burgeoning population that now stands at approximately 1.2 crore. In January this year, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy directed concerned authorities to identify a site each in the city’s four corners to use as garbage dumps. Two were already selected, and authorities have located the other two, but legal hurdles and protests came in the way before things could move further. The High Court issued an interim stay order on several grounds, including violating legal procedures, for constructing a waste processing plant.
What is the way forward? Soon, the amount of garbage will exceed the capacity of the dump yard. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, which spent ₹661 crore in the last fiscal on solid waste management, will have to expedite works without inviting public wrath and legal tangles. And Hyderabad requires more waste-to-energy plants and solid waste processing units.
The time for talking is almost up. The civic body must launch a massive awareness campaign alongside the concrete works. Evidently, the Swachh Bharat Mission and Swachh Survekshan awards do not really reflect reality. The onus is on the government, the civic body and the people to keep the city clean. Municipal authorities must publicise the three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) more aggressively and impose strict penalties.