Establishment of Environmentally and Economically Sustainable MSWM Systems

Proper system of municipal solid waste management is not yet established in the EcoCity Project area of Vrindavan. However, a number of initiatives have been taken up for rekindling of the faith of common people in the earnestness of the Vrindavan Nagarpalika Parishad in making Vrindavan a cleaner and healthier place for people to live in. Details are given below.

a) DPRs for MSW Management 

For MSW management in Vrindavan, detailed project reports (DPRs) were prepared by the consultants (Mr. A.D. Bhide) engaged by GTZ.

b) Field teams

As a part of the efforts to improve MSW Management System, GTZ engaged the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) which had stationed a field team at Vrindavan for undertaking awareness and education programmes and working on establishment of environmentally and economically sustainable MSW Management systems.

c) Demonstration Projects

With the persuasions by CEE team and fund support from Small Grants Program of Global Environment Facility (UNDP-GEF-SGP), demonstration project has been taken up in the identified areas through Friends of Vrindavan and Food for Life (NGOs) for door-to-door collection, segregation of municipal solid waste and transportation to the identified area.

In March 2008, Friends of Vrindavan is currently serving wards 3 and parts of ward 7 covering 4,000 households, 700 shops and the vegetable mandi housing 50 vegetable vendors, while Food for Life Vrindavan serves 365-shops, 90 ashrams and 445 households in Gopinath Bazaar, Patthar Pura, Radha Raman, Gokulanand Temples, Kesi ghat and Jugal Ghat areas. Under the project, employment has been provided to 76 workers of whom 67 are ragpickers and 3 are women. 9 Resident Welfare Associations have been formed in the city.

Both the NGOs collect a total of 10 tons/day of garbage through door-to-door services. Of this 3.5quintals/day is segregated at the source in wet and dry categories while secondary segregated at the intermediary collection points (dhalao/ ramps) results in 3ton/day of segregated waste. Each NGO takes the segregated wet waste to the vermi compost plants owned by them while the dry waste is sold to the kabariwalas for Rs.200-300/day. This money helps augment the income of the workers. It is also the responsibility of the NGOs to dump the remaining waste at the landfill site, at a distance of 3-4km.

Vrindavan: Types of Rickshaws used and Collection of waste at the Dhalao (intermediary point)

d) Night Cleaning Drive

Another initiative taken by the Vrindavan Nagar Palika Parishad to clean the core area of Vrindavan is the ‘night cleaning’ (Raatrikaleen Safai) on Goverdhan Road and the areas adjoining Shri Banke Bihari Temple. This exercise is being carried out on a daily basis during night hours in collaboration with voluntary organisations. The waste aggregated from night cleaning is collected in the morning by handcarts and sent to the dumping ground using tractors.

e) Procurement of Community Bins

The Vrindavan Nagar Palika Parishad procured 30 nos. of dust bins of 50 liter capacity and in addition nos. 50 of 60 liter capacity bins and 50 nos. of 110 liters capacity bins were procured by GTZ. These bins have been placed in the EcoCity Project area. The bins have been specially manufactured with arrangements for grouting in the ground for firmly fixing them.