Puri ill-equipped to handle 1,200 tonne solid waste

With only a few days left for the grand Nabakalebar Rath Yatra, it now looks crystal clear that the temple town of Puri has no wherewithal in place to handle a colossal municipal solid waste to be generated by a vast influx of over 30 lakh pilgrims.Though the event is billed as Odisha’s Mahakumbh equivalent, yet the State administration’s groundwork and initiatives to ensure hygiene and sanitation abound with gaping holes.

Consider this, in normal circumstances, the city with a population of over 2.07 lakh generates over 60.17 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day and such waste generated by the floating population or pilgrims of around 50,000 on a daily basis totals to a whopping 15 tonnes. Overall, Puri every day generates a whopping 76 tonnes of municipal solid waste but the waste collection or disposal daily has been estimated at around 50 tonnes. The city has only around 60-70 bins positioned by the civic body at various strategic locations to collect municipal solid waste. Moreover, the civic body employs around 500-600 Safai Karamcharis for road cleaning/bush cutting and garbage lifting. 

According to a Government estimate, the additional municipal solid waste likely to be generated during this Rath Yatra would be a colossal 1,200 tonnes as over 40 lakh people would be visiting the city to witness the Car fest. As per data available with the Puri civic body, dry leaves, cotton rags, coir, gross wood and debris together account for over 30 per cent of solid waste generated. Green coconut shells alone form over 5 per cent of solid waste generated in the city. The civic body too assumes a quantum rise in waste quantity to be generated in the above categories during the fest. 

Though the Centre has already asked the State to promote Swachh Bharat Mission in the festival, a reality check on ground reveals a different story. Unlike the 2013 Mahakumb, when the UP Government had positioned over 1,000 zero-discharge toilets and additional bins at vending shops, marketing places etc, there is no such initiatives taken up here as of now. Even, the area around railway station and bus stand in Puri is amiss with adequate waste collecting bins. The approach roads to Grand Road and the vicinity around the temple also have no such waste disposal arrangements. Moreover, on the way from Malatipatpur to Puri, no toilets have been positioned stoking concern among Puri denizens.

“Since the Government has arranged accommodation for over 1 lakh pilgrims only, citizens fear the high probability of open-defecation. Adequate positioning of zero-discharge toilets could have proved of providential help to the civic body in ensuring clean and green Puri,” rued Jagannath Sanskruti Suraksha Manch convener laxmikanta Dash.

According to Puri MlA Maheswar Mohanty, who happens to be Nabakalebar Infra Committee Chairperson, the administration has constructed around 35 public toilets including positioning of a dozen mobile toilets at all strategic points where there is heavy influx of pilgrims. He claimed around 100-150 more waste collecting bins would be positioned at major congregations points by July 16 and 500 more Safai Karamcharis would be deployed a day before to clean all approach roads to the Grand Road.