HMWSSB wants people living in Hyderabad slums to be exempted from producing sale deed copies for releasing sewerage connections
Due to increased instances of open defecation in urban slums, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has urged the government to exempt those living in unauthorised colonies from submitting registered sale deed copies for releasing sewerage connections. Majority of slum dwellers do not have the requisite title deed copies and as a result, applications for sewerage connections are being rejected by the water board. At present, the Gujarat and Maharashtra governments release individual sewerage connections without insisting on sale deed copies.
National capital found to be short of around 4,000 public toilets across all three MCD areas
Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has announced that the National Capital is short of around 4,000 public toilets across all three MCD areas and steps are being taken to bridge the gap under the Swachh Bharat Mission. However, a total of 7,061 public toilet seats have been constructed in Delhi since the launch of the Mission. Rs 223 crore has been allotted for Delhi for improving water and sanitation service delivery under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
Yavatmal tops all districts in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region in constructing toilets in 2015-16
With the construction of 35,167 individual household latrines, Yavatmal tops all districts in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region in constructing toilets under the Swacch Bharat Mission in 2015-16. While Ahmednagar topped the list, Yavatmal secured the fifth spot in the entire state. The district has over 4.5 lakh families of which 2.27 lakh families do not have their own toilets.
Wet waste treatment now made mandatory for all buildings in Mumbai
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has made the treatment of wet waste mandatory for all buildings in the new Development Control Regulations. The regulations also include provisions to deal with dry and hazardous waste in addition to on-site wet waste treatment. Earlier, a state government directive made on-site disposal of wet waste mandatory for new housing projects that are more than 2,000 square metres in area.
BMC promises to reclaim Mumbai’s Mulund dumpyard and make it available as an open space
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation plans to clear out the garbage from the Mulund dump yard and make it available as an ‘open land’ to the public. Garbage will no longer be dumped in Mulund and the reclaimed space would be converted into walking paths for residents. The tendering process is already underway with companies from Israel and South Korea showing interest in the proposal. At present the dump yard houses close to 62 lakh metric tonnes of garbage.
Garbage piles continue to grow across Bengaluru as a waste processing unit shuts its doors in Doddaballapur
The recent closure of a waste processing unit near Gundlahalli in Doddaballapur has left Bengaluru stinking. Piles of garbage were found to be steadily growing across the city as the recently closed Terra Firma unit along with another plant in nearby Chigaranahalli village used to process about 30% of the city's waste. In the absence of substitute landfills and limited capacity of existing ones, the BBMP Chief has directed officials to identify abandoned quarries which could double up as dumping yards till alternate arrangements are made.
This is a roundup of important sanitation related news published between April 3 and 9, 2016
Lead image courtesy: Patrick Donohue's Flickr Feed