PNS | DEHRADUN
The Municipal Corporation of Rishikesh (MCR) has achieved 100 per cent source segregation in 18 wards during door-to-door garbage collection, the Rishikesh municipal commissioner Shailendra Negi said. Since the city ranked fifth in Uttarakhand and 304th among the cleanest cities in the country in Swachchh Survekshan (SS) 2023, the MCR has ramped up efforts to improve sanitation and waste management across the city as part of its preparations for SS 2024.
Highlighting the corporation’s progress in waste segregation at source in the past one year, Negi stated that MCR has achieved 100 per cent segregation in 18 wards during door-to-door garbage collection while the remaining 22 wards have reached approximately 60 per cent segregation. Efforts are ongoing to ensure complete compliance citywide. The corporation is also working closely with hotels, restaurants and traders, conducting regular meetings to ensure that they segregate waste daily to make disposal process more efficient, Negi said.
The commissioner has also directed officials to ensure that sanitary napkins are available in all 28 community toilets and public toilets in the city along with other essential facilities as per Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan guidelines. He stated that to raise awareness about SS 24, MCR is actively conducting campaigns in schools and communities, educating people on the initiative’s significance. Schools have also been instructed to set up compost pits within their premises to manage wet waste sustainably, as per the commissioner. However, despite notable progress, the city still faces challenges affecting its ranking. The presence of untreated legacy waste in the Govindgarh area and the lack of a solid waste management plant continue to be major hurdles. “The corporation has treated about two lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste in the Govindgarh area, 7,600 metric tonnes waste is yet to be treated. The process is ongoing. The construction of a solid waste management and recycling plant is also underway, which is expected to improve waste processing in the near future,” Negi said.
Reflecting on Rishikesh’s previous ranking of 304 in SS23, Negi stated the corporation is leaving no stone unturned to secure a significantly better rank this year. While he refrained from making specific predictions, he expressed confidence that the city’s improved initiatives will lead to a drastic improvement in its ranking.
