The Aryavarth Express
Agency(Vijayawada): In a remarkable demonstration of commitment to urban cleanliness, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has secured the 6th spot in the Swachh Survekshan 2023 rankings for India’s cleanest cities. This achievement underscores the city’s effective waste management strategies and the collective efforts of its extensive sanitation team. The city, with a bustling population, is serviced by nearly 4,000 dedicated sanitation personnel and 300 workers specializing in wet waste, managing the disposal and treatment of approximately 520 tons of waste daily.
VMC has implemented state-of-the-art waste processing facilities, including a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and a Waste to Energy Plant, to enhance dry waste management. The city’s infrastructure for waste treatment is comprehensive, featuring six vermicompost, four windrow compost, and one bio-methanation plant, along with a facility for hazardous domestic waste. Innovatively, Vijayawada has set up plants specifically for recycling flower, coconut, and horticulture waste, significantly bolstering its waste processing capabilities.
The city’s bio-methanation plant is a testament to its efficient and low-cost wet waste management, converting 16 tons of wet waste daily into energy. Moreover, VMC has taken initiatives to educate the public about its sanitation efforts through an informational park within the solid waste management plant, which highlights the corporation’s extensive and impactful sanitation measures.
Addressing the challenge of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste, Vijayawada processes 47 tons daily, transforming it into useful materials like bricks and paver blocks, thereby beautifying public spaces and organizing areas for street vendors. The city has also tackled legacy waste by bio-mining 2.5 lakh tons of garbage, repurposing the cleared land into a park and setting up an integrated solid waste management facility that includes a thermacol processing unit.
The community is actively involved in recycling, with three permanent Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (RRR) centers run by Self-Help Group (SHG) women producing and selling recycled goods. Initiatives like the wall of kindness and plastic collection centers encourage citizens to donate waste or unused items, fostering a culture of sustainability.
Vijayawada efficiently manages its wastewater through an advanced network of six Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and a co-treatment plant, repurposing the treated water for agricultural, cleaning, and plantation watering purposes. The city’s efforts in canal waste management have successfully removed 6,000 tons of waste, showcasing the collective dedication of the Urban Local Body (ULB) and the citizens towards maintaining a clean and sustainable environment.
Vijayawada’s journey towards swachhata is a collaborative success story, combining innovative waste management solutions with community engagement to create a cleaner, greener city.