Waste Management - Common Wealth Games in India

There are precisely 79 days left for the commonand NGO's to collect its waste. The Fact is that the
wealth games to start in India. The city seems like itGazipur lanfill is not a sanitary landfill site but a
has been ripped apart, with dug up path ways, roadmountain of garbage that has collected there over
construction and construction debris spewed all overthe years, due to unorganized dumping. The fact is
the city. A certain gentleman in charge of thethat the city does not have a waste management
commonwealth games in India has claimed that thisplan in place till this date. Majority of plans are on
will be the best games the world has ever seen. Well,paper, but there is little or no implementation of
two month to go and majority of the projects arethese plans and a few private contractors continue
running behind schedule, in fact the other day leadingto collect and dump waste at the Gazipur dump site
news daily reported that the roof of a stadium fellwhich is then scavenged by animals and humans alike.
down due to heavy rain and poor water proofing.If the city is not capable of removing construction
Well all things said and done hope fully the city willdebris from the streets of Delhi as of now, what
come out looking better if not looking like a worldwould change the situation two months from now?
class city. The major issue that we see is the messWe believe that for the time period of the games
that is created while the construction is going on. Thethe city will hire the help of private contractors to
construction waste dumped on side of roads,dispose of the waste and then return to the old
blocking the drains, dust polluting the already pollutedways of doing things. There will be little or no
air and large traffic jams caused due to debris takingtreatment done, as vermi composting is not a
up road space meant for vehicles. MCD (Municipalsuitable process for treating large quantities of waste.
Corporation of Delhi) claims that it has placed a worldA model plant may be set up by the government to
class waste management program in place for thedemonstrate their commitment towards making the
games. The following is the action plan:games a green event, but this in our opinion this will
• In house vermicomposting for Organic wasteonly be a curtain to cover up the real issues.
• Complete collection, segregation and disposalThe country is hosting the second biggest sporting
systemevent after the Olympics, and there is little or no
• Well connected to Government waste treatmentexcitement among the masses. In fact there is more
facilities (for example construction waste beingexcitement, created towards a international cricket
disposed by Municipal Corporation of Delhi at Gazhipurmatch, or even the European football league in a
sanitary landfill)country where football is hardly played. We need to
All looks good on rosy. Three bullet points on thestart thinking about why the citizens and politicians of
common wealth games site, showing commitment ofthis country are not raising their voices against
the government to insure that our cities carbon footsomething so wrong and blatantly in your face. Let us
print is minimized. The facts are that Delhi does notall hope for a miracle so that these games can be
have a single waste treatment site that is operational.one that are remembered as a memorable one and
The fact is that Delhi relies on the unorganized sectornot a miserable one.