PUNE – Jan. 15, 2012
Keeping garbage close can be useful. A project in Katraj, Pune’s largest ward, shows how; and it will soon apply across the city.
In Pune, garbage is becoming political. Every day, 3.5 million Punekars generate 2,600 tonnes of waste. Late last month, people from the villages next to the two major landfill sites, sick of the filth in their own back yard, decided to prevent garbage trucks from bringing in waste to dump.
The blockade was lifted after five days, but by then uncollected garbage had piled up around the city. Bins overflowed, roadsides stank, and drains were choking. With municipal elections around the corner, corporators were worried. The short-term solution was for the ruling NCP to promise that the demands of the villagers would be met. Read “Waste no trash”
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