This year, cities were evaluated on three parameters for a total of 7,500 marks: 3,000 marks for service level progress (SLP) and 2,250 each for certification and citizens’ voice. BBMP managed to score 2,983 marks.
Garbage appears to be analbatross that has weigheddown Bengaluru. Excuses like technical problems for the dip in the city’s Swachh Survekshan 2022 rankings may not cut ice, given the proliferation of black spots. Roadside garbage heaps are just as much a reminder of the administration’s failure to clear them as they are of Bengalureans’ tendency to palm off their burden on unresponsive authorities. Given the scale of the challenge, BBMP must involve citizens at all levels of waste management if the city must be saved from being buried under its own waste.
According to sources, BBMP scored 1,400 out of 3,500 in SLP owing to the civic body’s tussle with the consulting agency responsible for uploading required details for the survey. The agency had to upload the details once every four months but failed to do it for the first two times on time, contributing to the loss of marks under the head of SLP.
In the certification category, there were three subcategories: open-defecation free (ODF) status, garbage-free city (GFC) and water-plus category. While BBMP noticed up 600 marks in ODF, it could not complete under the other two subcategories due to shortcomings of Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).
To become eligible for GFC, the Palike should have processed at least 60% of the waste it collects but its achievement has been pegged at 55%. The score under this head was zero. BBMP officials lamented that some overenthusiastic activists are scuttling the optimum use of waste processing plants.
Of the eight plants, one is shut due to activists and the rest are not running at optimal capacity. In water-plus category, BBMP could not participate and scored zero as sewage is being released into most city lakes and BWSSB has failed to fix the problem. In the citizens’ voice bucket too, the Palike did not fare well as majority of the feedback was negative. The Palike managed to score only 1,000.
‘City not competing for two sub-categories’
Harish Kumar, special commissioner, BSWML, confirmed that the city is not competing for water-plus and GFC and losing huge marks every year. There is a long way to go in this regard, he added.
The Central evaluation team has observed remarkable changes in some of the fields of SWM in Bengaluru. The city was struggling to reach many goals but has not improved, said Kumar.
“We were never able to convince citizens about delivering on their expectations and hence, were never able to cross the 50% mark in citizens’ voice section. We have to do several things to win their heart,” he said.
“Under SLP, we could not perform in the first two of the three windows owing to the shift from PMU to an in-house mechanism. But there are some positive developments and we hope we could achieve something more the next time. We know our strengths and weaknesses and we will work on those things,” he said.
