Residents say just 2-3 garbage vans for an area as huge as Versova
Waste dumped on the road near Aga Khan Baug, in Versova, on Wednesday. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Residents of Versova have been complaining about the piles of garbage in the area for the last many years, but the issue has not been resolved yet. Residents have registered several complaints from time to time, but they claim that the garbage is cleaned the next day and then piles up again. Piling of garbage has remained the crucial issue of the civic infra in the last few years.
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Over the past decade, the BMC received a total of 10 lakh complaints and highest among them were related to solid waste management. Over the past 10 years, the civic body has received over 1 lakh (1,02,149) complaints of garbage alone. Residents of Versova are also facing the issue for the last many years and the country’s richest corporation failed to solve the issue despite constant follow-up.
Huge area, few vehicles
Vijay Ullal, a resident of Versova, said the problem has persisted for the past many years despite complaints. “The area is so big, hence the garbage vehicle gets full after picking trash from just two-three localities. And the civic ward has only two or three vehicles for the entire Versova. So it takes a long time for those vehicles to come back from dump yards for further collection,” said Ullal.
A garbage compactor parked in Versova is of no use, as people find it difficult to dump trash inside, say locals
He has started a WhatsApp group and residents keep complaining about various garbage spots through the group to the BMC and local public representatives. Piles of garbage can be seen on several roads across Versova, including on Old Fisheries Road, Fisheries University Road and Panch Marg.
A failed idea
Sanjay Shetty, a resident of Royal Heritage in Versova village said, “We have complained to all the authorities concerned. The odour is nauseating and the garbage gets messy in the rain. A few years back, they started parking garbage compactors. The idea was that people will put the garbage in the compactor and then the vehicle will transport it to the dumping ground once full. But due to mechanical failure, the number of the compactor vehicles was reduced. Now, one vehicle is parked in front of Sea Breeze society and the public find it difficult to put the garbage inside it. So they throw trash around the vehicle. The waste lies around for four to five days and gets cleared only after we complain.”
Shetty said they have to complain to the ward officer daily, and he gets the garbage cleared immediately. However, he cannot solve the issue of limited resources, like fewer garbage pickup vans. “This issue has to be solved at the high level in the BMC,” he added.
Footpaths are filthy
Mahindra Chawala, another resident, said, “Pedestrians cannot use the footpath on Fisheries University Road because of trash on the entire stretch. The footpath is so dirty that you cannot even go near them, even though civic workers come for cleaning every day.
“However, they do not pick up the garbage accumulated near tree trunks. In Sunderwadi, there is a natural pond, which gets full only during monsoon. In summer, it dries up and you can see a bed of plastic waste,” Chawala added.
Residents said the BMC’s WhatApp helpline works, but it offers a temporary solution. They collect the trash soon after receiving complaints, but then there’s a fresh pile the very next day, locals said.
Ullal said, “We need a permanent solution. There should be a system to pick up waste from shanties regularly. The BMC has a garbage collection system only on paper. People have no other way but to throw the waste around the bins that are full to the brim.”
Ward officials said they are doing their best with limited resources. An official from the solid waste management department said that there was an issue with vehicles a few days back, so the issue of garbage piling up worsened. The official assured that he will look into the issue in Versova.
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