Solid waste management units deteriorating into dumping grounds in Odisha

Efforts to tackle solid waste in Kendrapara district are marred by a litany of challenges, as waste disposal structures intended for waste management have been allegedly left to deteriorate, with reports of roofs being blown off and walls cracking coming to the fore.

The village waste management units, crucial for efficient solid waste management and meant to facilitate the separation and processing of both solid and liquid waste, are now reportedly deteriorating into dumping grounds. 

The situation is particularly worrying in Aul and Rajkanika blocks. A series of waste disposal and segregation centres aimed at improving waste management were built across 38 panchayats, in Kendrapara’s Rajkanika and Aul blocks.

Built at a whopping cost of nearly Rs 1 crore, the waste disposals have ceased to function after just one and a half years. Residents have voiced dissatisfaction, attributing the failure to substandard work on the facilities.

A case in point is the waste segregation centre in Baradia Panchayat, which was constructed at a cost of Rs 45,000 only 18 months ago. Supposed to be a model of effective waste management, it now suffers from structural issues like cracked walls.

Further compounding the challenge is the situation in Mahu Panchayat, where the roof of another segregation centre stands severely damaged.

“The government is spending so much on schemes and projects. However, not a single penny benefits the common man as all the money goes down the drain due to lack of proper planning or the money is bungled by the authorities concerned,” alleged a local Prafulla Kumar Nayak.

Likewise, another local Dhaneswar Rout alleged, “The district administration is hardly worried about common people because there is no accountability. No one holds these officers accountable because of which such frauds go on unstopped in our society because of which government’s mission fails everywhere.”

When contacted, Bharigada panchayat former sarpanch Pradip Mallick said, “They have done a very low quality work and the building is already on the verge of collapse. Herbs and shrubs have already grown there as the walls have developed cracks. The aim with which the government had built it has gone in vain.”

When contacted, Kendrapara Collector Smruti Ranjan Pradhan said that the maintenance work would be undertaken soon. "We are aware of the issues and are committed to ensuring that the centres function as intended," the district collector said.