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Municipal Solid Waste has been a topic of utmost concern as it resonates with not just the aesthetics of the city but also with the public health and its surrounding environment. In the last few decades as the cities around India have started expanding so has the choices of its urban fabric in terms of their lifestyle and the increasing number of unplanned growth. This expansion has seen a direct impact on the overall management of solid waste which includes generation, collection, transportation, segregation and disposal. These aspects have been evaluated under the Swachh Bharat Mission where municipalities across the country are competing in order to achieve the tag of a clean city. They are being evaluated under Swachh Survekshan on the basis of nine focus areas ranging from municipal solid waste management to wet waste management.
This study focuses on the East Delhi Municipal Corporation and its poor performance in the 2020 Swachh Survekshan, specifically focusing on the Service Level Progress that constitutes Collection and Transportation as one of its components. Collection and Transportation being the first major process of the Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) needs a better understanding and skillful management techniques so as to have a positive trickle down effect on the rest of the system. With this thought, a survey was carried out on the basis of settlement typology in EDMC to identify the strengths and the weaknesses in terms of solid waste collection and transportation. The outcomes were further analysed with the poor performance of EDMC in the Swachh Survekshan 2020, specifically under the Collection and Transportation component to identify the gaps and performance constraints. This study also looked into the preparedness factor of EDMC for the upcoming Swachh Survekshan 2021 and tried to come up with appropriate suggestions so as to strengthen the municipality’s performance.
Words: Solid Waste Management; Swachh Bharat Mission; Swachh Sarvekshan 2020 & 2021; East Delhi Municipal Corporation; Transportation and collection.
