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The Way it was in 1995: One of the Dirtiest Cities in North India Formal secondary solid waste collection sites were mainly just points in the major streets where garbage collected from nearby narrow lanes could be dumped.
Someone with a sense of the absurd had invented useless concrete garbage bins in from of which trash could be dumped and from which it couldn't easily be removed.
Garbage was a blight on the city. Piles blocked the entrance to the Town Hall. One of the few completely intact Sarais (caravan rests) was nearly inaccessible because it was a garbage pile.
One street was blocked for over 10 years by garbage piles reaching several feet on adjacent buildings and closing entrances. This situation allowed cowherds to convert open area into a stable and provided refuge from the police for local criminals.
Garbage heaped on the streets built up until it was high enough for a hydraulic loader to and dump in into a tractor trolley. This assumed that both were working and could be coordinated to arrive at the same time! Unfortunately, the loader was normally broken down due to poor maintenance. The only other means of loading was to lift it over head with a shovel!
The continual collection of solid waste at any and every open space and the poor condition of all sanitation department equipment resulted in blocked sewer connections as well.
Daily street collection in the lanes was by low-capacity handcarts which mostly broken down. Picking up and pushing these heavy vehicles on the irregular street surface was a real chore for the sanitation department staff.
Some very expensive and slow buffalo carts provided marginal collection services.
If daily garbage piles were not enough, the constant construction on the narrow lanes with no set back made sure that hardly any street drains were clear.
Poor procurement standards and no maintenance of vehicles ensured that almost all tractor trolleys were rusted out and useless.
Theft of parts, lack of maintenance and use of secondhand oils made almost all the tractor fleet unrepairable.
The Mirzapur Model City Approach 1995 - 2000 The problem of hydraulic or human lifting for removal of garbage was solved by the development of an elevated platform at the same high as the tractor trolley and with access by a sloped ramp.
The gentle slope requires right-of-way that is available along main streets. The collection depot provides for direct vehicle access to the tractor trolley where a vehicle operator is assisted in delivery.
The wide loading ramp allows easy vehicle maneuvering and turning.
The large daily capacity of the collection depots and their efficient spacing required greater area coverage than could be provided by the current handcarts and buffalo carts. Rickshaw trolley were designed and introduced to provide for a larger service area and easier operation.
A tilting bed on the rickshaw trolley allows for easy unloading into tractor trolley. The rickshaw trolley quickly became popular with the department staff and the public as well. Now it is the core of the garbage collection system.
Daily removal of garbage at the adjacent collection depot made it possible to reopen access to the historic sari and complete minor reconstruction.
The small space needed for the depot allows for a narrow design in some areas.
Construction of a collection depot also allowed the reopening of the previously blocked Katchi Sarak street and stimulated other municipal investments such as street resurfacing and drain reconstruction.
Locations for 8 additional collection depots were planned using the new municipal geographic information system to identify efficient service areas.
The sanitation department staff responded enthusiastically to the new system and were redeployed to support the 10 collection depots.
Once the collection depot system was in operation, garbage was no longer dumped along the streets. A special effort was made by the municipality to remove all the old garbage heaps. When these heaps were removed clear open spaces re-emerged. In order to prevent unauthorised encroachment on these sites and to beautify the city elevated and fenced gardens were constructed.
The Result: Probably the Cleanest City in Uttar Pradesh This dramatic improvement came about with the reform of the secondary garbage collection system. Instead of dumping garbage on the streets it is now taken to the collection depots for daily removal. The city has recently acquired a site for its first municipal landfill. However, the terribly inefficient primary collection in the narrow lanes still remained. The public still threw garbage onto the street whenever they had any. This was especially true in poor neighborhood where there is no habit, space or container in the house for storing garbage. Meetings were held with sanitation department staff to find out how to change this situation.
One of the first suggestions to improve primary collection was to install collection bins where non-household garbage collects along main streets. Bins were designed to tilt and dump trash into a handcart underneath. Bins with the same design have now been provided by the Rotary Club as well.
The Community Outreach Programme developed and supported communities willing to make partial contributions to infrastructure improvements. Through that programme the potential for cooperative efforts with the sanitation department staff to improve primary garbage collection was identified. Trash cans have been provided to nearly 1,500 households with the active support of the sanitation department staff, elected representatives and the community. These households represent over 10,000 people or 5 percent of the population!
Residents store trash in the attractive cans until garbage is collected. In some cases handcarts make daily collection, but in others garbage bins are used for daily storage.
The reform of primary garbage collection has been successful in this pilot effort. However, since the majority of the population are poor and living in very congested lanes, the programme needs to be extended to cover the entire city with various funding arrangements. Unfortunately, funding for this excellent programme was cut by mean spirited individuals within the funding hierarchy.
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