Mahila Milan collective seeks to ensure proper housing and sanitation in Mumbai slums
Leaders of Mahila Milan collective in Mumbai understand the importance good sanitation and have taken it upon themselves to ensure that women in slums have a hygienic and place to defecate, instead of out in the open. The poor women's collective negotiates with the city Corporation and other local bodies to secure contracts for local women to take a leadership role in upgrading sanitation infrastructure in their own slums. The women from Mahila Milan are responsible for the construction of over 100 toilets across Mumbai slums, improving the lives of over 50 percent of the people living in such informal settlements.
Mumbai's draft Development Plan allocates maximum space for garbage sorting in the city's eastern suburbs
Mumbai revised draft Development Plan has carved exclusive neighborhood-level segregation centres out of existing sorting areas and has allocated maximum space for garbage sorting in the city's eastern suburbs. These sorting areas are expected to reduce the waste load reaching the city's landfills. Disproportionate allocation of land for solid waste management activities has always remained a bone of contention. The city's western suburbs have a higher density of population and greater geographical area compared to the eastern suburbs; however, land allocated to the latter exceeds that of the former.
Chennai to introduce bin-less waste transfer and source segregation across 15 zones
Chennai Corporation is all set to launch bin-less waste transfer process on a pilot basis across 15 zones. Once fully implemented, it will eliminate the need for the omnipresent compactor bins seen all over the city. Segregating waste at source will be stressed and a second round of segregation will be done once the waste is collected. While organic waste will be composted, inert waste will be dumped in Perungudi and Kodungaiyur landfills.
20-day ultimatum for cleaning up Bengaluru's Ulsoor Lake
Plagued by a series of fishkills, Bengaluru's Development Minister has set a 20-day deadline for authorities to clean up the Ulsoor Lake. Release of untreated sewage and dumping of solid waste were found to be the main reasons behind the reduced dissolved oxygen in city lakes including the one in Ulsoor. The BWSSB has been directed to set up a sewage treatment plant at the lake to reduce the quantum of toxins entering the water body.
Pune Corporation builds 4,553 private toilets in city slums
The City Corporation has successfully built 4,553 private toilets out of the proposed 16,000 units to rid Pune of open defecation. The Corporation initiated the project to provide sanitary toilets for slum dwellers across the city and is expected to be complete by October this year with help from non-governmental organizations working in the state. According to a local NGO's survey, slums house nearly 40 percent of the city's population and nearly 60,000 families have no access to individual toilets.
This is a roundup of important sanitation related news published between May 29 and June 4, 2016
Lead image courtesy: The Hindu
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