Vengurla and Panchgani from Maharashtra bag top spots in the CSE ratings on cleanliness

• All 17 wards in Panchgani segregate waste at source
• Vengurla conferred the Five Leaves Award in the assessment of cities while Panchgani gets Four Leaves
• Garbage disposal site in Vengurla converted into a public park – a major tourist attraction 

New Delhi, June 7, 2018:“Sweeping cities is only a small part of the solution to the problem of keeping our cities clean – what is more important is sustainable treatment, recycle and reuse of the waste that they generate,” said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), while announcing the awards for most efficient management and segregation of waste by Indian cities which are members of the Forum of Cities that Segregate. 

CSE has been working with cities to promote and implement source-segregation and decentralized model of waste management. To scale up its impact, CSE had launched the ‘Forum of Cities that Segregate’ on December12, 2017. The Forum now has 26 members – from Maharashtra, Vengurla, Panchgani and Vaijapur feature in the list. 

CSE released here today the 2017-18 assessment report of the performance of 20 of these 26 Forum cities. Based on the findings of the assessment report, the best performers were selected and the Leaves Awards conferred on them. 

The cities were assessed based on their performance in the six months since the Forum was launched. The parameters included segregation at source, collection, transportation, wet waste and dry waste processing, adoption of decentralised systems, the inclusion of informal sector in municipal systems and adoption and enforcement of SWM bye-laws and enforcement of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. 

The Maharashtra report card

• Every household in Vengurla segregates waste into wet, dry and domestic hazardous categories. Defaulters are penalized with strict fines and penalties. Implementation is assured through close monitoring by the local bodies.
• All 17 wards in Panchgani segregate waste at source including commercial establishments and bulk generators. Non-recyclable plastic waste is shredded and sent to be used for construction of roads. 3.5 tonnes of wet waste is treated in a composting facility. The compost produced further creates revenue for the council.
• Vengurla has no dump site or landfill. Inert waste such as debris and silt is mixed with organic waste and is used for mulching, hence recovering maximum waste.
• Vengurla has notified the bye-laws as per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. However, Panchgani is yet to notify the same.
• Panchgani was adjudged the cleanest city in the west zone by the Swachh Survekshan 2018 conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Vaijapur received the 3 Leaves Award according to the CSE assessment.

For more details and to access CSE’s resources on waste management, please contact Parul Tewari of The CSE Media Resource Centre, parul@cseindia.org / 9891838367.