Case Study of the Day: Innovating Waste Management- Kakinada

Background: Kakinada city in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh has evolved an efficient mechanism, utilizing technological innovation for the collection and processing of solid waste within the last year.

About the Waste Management Paradigm in Kakinada

• The situation in Kakinada before June 2020:
  • Municipal staff collected garbage irregularly and 90% of the daily complaints reviewed by the municipality were related to municipal solid waste.
  • Every street was a dump yard and Community bins used to overflow and attract stray animals.
  • Residents were unhappy with poor waste management practices.
• After a series of deliberations, the city introduced advanced technology and innovative solutions to deal with the situation:
  • City prepared a comprehensive sanitation plan in which the roles of citizens, local leaders, municipal staff, corporators, MLAs, SHGs, and NGOs were clearly defined.
  • Concept of integrated solid waste management was introduced to ensure end-to-end management of municipal solid waste.
  • Technologies introduced include, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, Global Positioning System (GPS), Human Resource Management System (HRMS) mobile app, Integrated Command and Communication Centre.
• Impacts of the interventions:
  • City has managed to achieve a processing rate of 84% of collected segregated waste.
  • Total annual revenue earned from waste processing has reached 26% of the total expenditure.
  • Residents of Kakinada have been sensitized on managing waste and 60% of them have started segregating at source.
  • Littering in public places has almost stopped, while complaints about solid waste management in the city have reduced.
• Thus, perceiving waste management as shared responsibility, while adopting right technology and strategy can help address the menace of Solid Waste Management in other cities of India.

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