Nayagarh: If Nayagarh Municipality’s plan materialises, in the days to come, the civic body would not only be able to give the town a clean look but also create a source of income.
The plan that makes these things possible is a solid waste treatment plant at Kshetribarpur, on the outskirts of the town.
Initially, wet and dry garbage would be collected separately from households by workers employed by the civic body. The collected garbage would be sent to the treatment plant where the wet garbage be put into a well. Then it would be treated with salt and jaggery. Three weeks later, the trash turns into compost and will be ready for sale.
There would be 28 such wells. Dry garbage would be separated. While shreds of glass, plastic and iron pieces would be sold to scrap dealers, those that cannot be renewed would be given to a cement factory in Cuttack.
Sources said the town generates 10 tons of garbage daily. As the area of the municipality has been expanded, it is estimated to go up to 15 tons, making the proposed plant essential to give the people a clean environment.
“Setting up of the plant will go a long way in getting us a healthy and cleaner environment to live in,” observed Municipality Executive Officer Santosh Kumar Jena.
A source in the municipality said some women of the self help groups (SHGs) have been appointed as ‘Swachh Sathi’, one for every 600 families. Similarly, one supervisor has been appointed for every 2,400 families.
The responsibility of these ‘Swachh Sathis’ is to visit every household to get an idea of how much garbage is being produced by each family. At the same time, they will convince the residents the need for segregation of garbage at source. The supervisors will monitor them, the municipality source added.
Now, all the garbage is being dumped at Bhalukhol, near Sadar police station, giving rise to pollution issues. Once the proposed plant at Kshetribarpur gets ready, all these problems are expected to end.
However, a plan is underway for an excreta pit at Bhalukhol. The waste will be treated and the water available thereof would be used in parks, the source added.
PNN