War on Waste: Data Key to WoW Gangtok Mission

BIJOY GURUNG

GMC studying waste patterns across 21 wards during 100-day campaign

GANGTOK, : The Gangtok Municipal Corporation (GMC) has placed data collection at the centre of its 100-day ‘War on Waste’ (WoW) campaign, saying the information collected from across the city will guide long-term waste management and help transform Gangtok into a “WoW City.”

Unlike earlier cleanliness drives that were seasonal or carried out on a need basis, the current campaign is being implemented as a 100-day mission involving the entire municipal workforce, with strong emphasis on documentation and research.

As part of the exercise launched on February 19, GMC teams are conducting extensive data collection across all 21 wards, recording how much waste is generated by households, the type of waste produced in different localities, and how waste patterns change over the year.

Speaking with SIKKIM EXPRESS, GMC commissioner Gary Chopel shared that the WoW campaign, besides undertaking cleanliness and sensitisation programmes, aims to understand which areas generate what type of waste and why, so that the municipality can plan waste collection and resource deployment more effectively.

“Earlier, cleanliness drives were undertaken before the monsoon and on a need-based basis. We are continuing with it but on a mission mode, using all the manpower of the GMC for documentation while our Safai Karmacharis continue to carry out regular cleanliness work.”

The demographic profile of different wards in Gangtok is also being studied to understand what forms of waste are generated. Tadong Valley has a heavy concentration of students staying in rented rooms and accordingly produces significant volumes of tetra packs, pizza boxes and other packaging waste, much of which can potentially be recycled or monetised. Wet waste (leftover food and vegetable discards) is comparatively less.

In stark contrast, the commercial hub of MG Marg in main Gangtok city generates more wet waste as there are a minimum of two restaurants in almost every building.

Residential localities like Development Area submit a large volume of mixed waste on Mondays but the volume decreases significantly during the rest of the week. The GMC authorities have noted this pattern and are contemplating that on low-volume days a smaller garbage collection truck can be dispatched so there is more effective management of resources.

“Right now, similar vehicles are used across the city. With better data, we can manage resources more efficiently,” said the GMC commissioner.

Presently, the GMC has 28 garbage trucks that run across the town collecting about 42 tonnes of waste on a daily average. The city has about 2.60 lakh residents, a population figure which doubles during tourism seasons.

“During this campaign, we are also trying to identify how many red zones are there in Gangtok in terms of waste management and which ward has more red zones and why they have red zones despite having local councillors. We want to understand whether this is due to garbage not being collected on time or whether the public are reluctant to come forward. This WoW campaign is not just a campaign on posters but a resource-based documentation so we can quantify what is happening and in the long run plan for a more result-oriented city in terms of garbage management,” he said.

Documentation and analysis of the waste management system is crucial and the insights will allow the municipality to tailor waste collection strategies, including deploying different sizes of garbage trucks depending on the type and volume of waste generated in particular areas, said Chopel.

“We are collecting and evaluating the data every week. By the end of the 100-day campaign, GMC expects to build a comprehensive databank on waste generation in Gangtok, which will guide future planning and strengthen the city’s waste management system. We will be able to deploy our trucks and manpower in a more efficient manner, plan better, and also correct minor infrastructural leakages,” said Chopel.

“We believe that after 100 days, Gangtok city will be better in terms of waste management but more importantly we want to imprint on citizens’ minds that waste is an issue and that is why we-the citizens, GMC and all stakeholders-need to wage a war. There is confusion among people regarding household garbage fees and if we can give clarity on this, it will be a victory. This war has many battles and if people start paying garbage fees, that too will be a victory,” added the commissioner.

“The aim is not just to clean the city temporarily but to build a system that helps Gangtok become a true WoW City,” said Chopel.

Speaking on the ‘WoW’ tagline, the GMC commissioner said lakhs of tourists visit Gangtok annually and appreciate the city’s beauty and cleanliness. “We want to take it one step ahead by working towards making Gangtok a ‘WoW City’ through result-oriented and coordinated cleanliness and waste management. We are working with local residents, government agencies and stakeholders in this mission so that both locals and visitors experience that ‘Wow Gangtok’ feeling,” he said.

Appreciating the ‘War on Waste’ initiative of the Gangtok Municipal Corporation, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang-Golay recently encouraged everyone to adopt similar practices in their respective areas and contribute towards maintaining cleanliness for a greener and cleaner Sikkim.

The GMC commissioner mentioned that that similar initiatives by civic bodies in other towns could collectively help transform the State into a “Wow Sikkim”, strengthening Sikkim’s image nationally and contributing to the ‘Sunaulo, Samriddha and Samartha Sikkim’ vision of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang-Golay.