Mohali MC to rope in private hand to drive waste segregation
Currently, garbage collection in the city remains disorganised, with both sanitation workers and residents failing to segregate waste at source.
In the rankings announced on July 17, Mohali fell to the 128th spot among 903 cities with population between 50,000 and 3 lakh — a sharp drop from 82nd last year.
Within Punjab, it slipped to the 11th spot among 35 cities, compared to first place last year among cities with over 1 lakh population.
Mohali scored 69.93% — earning 8,742 out of 12,500 marks — compared to last year's 82.72% (6,204.20 out of 7,500).
Officials attributed the poor performance largely to non-segregation of waste at source and poor processing of waste generated —two key parameters in the central government's cleanliness survey.
Tech-enabled monitoring
MC commissioner Parminder Pal Singh said, 'For the first time, we are privatising door-to-door garbage collection and will float tenders next week. Our aim is to implement an end-to-end, tech-enabled, efficient waste management system in compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.'
As part of the plan, sanitation workers will sensitise households about waste segregation.
Each household will be assigned a QR code, and violations, such as mixing wet and dry waste, will be logged in real-time via a mobile app with time and date. Repeat violations will be escalated to MC sanitary inspectors.
Collection vehicles will be required to have separate compartments for wet and dry waste and deliver it to Material Recovery Facilities without mixing. Any violation, including mixing of waste post-collection, will attract strict penalties as per the Service Level Agreement.
Three plants set up for waste processing
To improve processing, MC has also set up two waste management facilities at Shahimajra and Jagatpura villages, where shed construction and machinery installation is complete.
A Panchkula-based agency has been hired to install waste sorting equipment at both sites. While dry waste will be processed here, wet waste will be sent to another shed in Phase 3A. The Shahimajra plant has a daily processing capacity of 40 tonnes and the Jagatpura facility can handle 80 tonnes per day.
These steps come in the wake of the Punjab and Haryana high court ordering closure of the Phase 8-B dumping ground, leaving the city with no designated dump.
CSR-funded park upkeep
Meanwhile, in a bid to improve park maintenance and reduce financial strain, MC has also decided to hand over five major city parks to private companies under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) model.
Mohali currently has 798 parks, including 39 designated as 'Special Parks' and 194 maintained by Residents' Welfare Associations (RWAs). The plan is to bring 604 parks, including all 39 Special Parks and 565 others, under CSR to enhance upkeep and transparency.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scroll.in
4 minutes ago
- Scroll.in
Schools get mud and clay update to stay cool in warming climates
When prize-winning architect Francis Kéré was growing up in Burkina Faso he spent his schooldays in a gloomy classroom that was so stifling he says it would have been better suited to making bread than educating children. Years later, while studying abroad, Kéré returned to his home village to build a light and airy school where children could learn in comfort despite temperatures that can hit 45 degrees celsius. But the Berlin-based architect did not use air conditioning. Instead, he incorporated a host of cooling features into Gando Primary School that he has since applied to projects across Africa. Kéré, who won architecture's highest honour of the Pritzker Prize in 2022, is among architects pioneering sustainable school designs for a warming planet. 'My own school was so hot it was hard to concentrate,' he told Context. 'So I wanted to build a school that would be comfortable and inspiring for children.' Studies from Brazil to Vietnam show heat significantly impacts learning. In a report last year, the World Bank warned that climate change was threatening educational attainment, creating an 'economic time-bomb'. Experts say classrooms should be no hotter than 26 degrees celsius. In Gando, villagers were initially shocked when Kéré announced he would build the school from clay, but the material is a natural temperature regulator, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night. Concrete and plate-glass may look contemporary, but Kéré said they make buildings hot, necessitating air conditioners. This creates a vicious circle. Energy-intensive air conditioners, which expel hot air outdoors, contribute to global warming, which then fuels demand for more aircon. Instead, Kéré uses passive cooling techniques. Gando's classrooms have openings at both ends, generating cross-ventilation. An overhanging roof elevated above a perforated lower roof improves air circulation and shades the facade. In Kenya, Kéré's design for a college campus was inspired by termite mounds, which use natural ventilation to regulate interior temperatures. Low openings on the buildings suck in fresh air while terracotta-coloured towers let hot air escape. Social change Some 8,000 km away in India's Thar desert, temperatures reached 48 degrees celsius this year. Vegetation is sparse, and sandstorms are common. The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School, a large oval sandstone edifice rising from the Rajasthan desert, was designed by New York architect Diana Kellogg. The building's orientation and shape allow prevailing winds to flow around the school, while lime plaster on the interior walls has an additional cooling effect. Lattice walls, inspired by traditional Indian jali screens, accelerate airflow due to a phenomenon called the Venturi effect. The school also runs off solar power and harvests enough rainwater for its needs. Temperatures inside are up to 10 degrees celsius cooler than outside, contributing to high attendance, Kellogg said. Like Kéré, she believes good architecture can encourage social change. Rajasthan has the lowest female literacy rate in India, but Kellogg said the school's monumental scale sends a strong message about the value of girls. 'It has enhanced their standing in the community,' she said. 'The girls take pride in attending and call it 'The College'. When I visit, the boys say, 'Build one for us'.' Greening schools Even temperate countries are looking at how to cool schools as climate change brings more frequent heatwaves. Britain has said new school buildings should be future-proofed for a 4 degrees celsius temperature rise. Its draughty Victorian-era schools with big windows and high ceilings are better suited to heatwaves than newer schools designed to keep heat in. But education does not just happen indoors. Playgrounds are also important for children's development, and many cities are trying to make them greener. Urban areas can be 4-6 degrees celsius warmer than rural areas, but planting trees reduces temperatures through shading and the release of water vapour. Paris aims to convert all asphalted schoolyards to green oases by 2050. Another solution involves cool paint. While countries like Greece have long painted building roofs white, scientists are now working on high-tech coatings that could potentially outperform air conditioners. Building with clay From geothermal cooling technology to smart glass, engineers are developing increasingly sophisticated systems and products to control temperatures. But German architect Anna Heringer said sustainable architecture meant working with local materials. Heringer, who has designed schools from Bangladesh to Ghana, is known for building with mud – 'a low-tech material with high-tech performance'. 'If you ask farmers, they will tell you a mud house is cool in summer,' Heringer said, adding that clay balances humidity, which exacerbates physical discomfort in extreme heat and cold. 'Architects often try to be way too technical, but sometimes the solutions are in front of us.' In Tanzania, villagers told her they built concrete homes for status, but went to mud huts to sleep at night. Contrary to popular perception, clay walls do not dissolve in the rain, Heringer said. There are simple techniques to prevent erosion, and a natural crystallization process strengthens the walls over time. 'Clay has been branded as a weak material, but in every culture and climate we have mud buildings that are hundreds of years old,' Heringer said, adding that schools she built 20 years ago have required little maintenance. Some classrooms in her schools have solar-powered fans, but there is no air conditioning. Not only does it consume energy, but constantly switching between heat and cold can harm children's health, she said. Kéré – whose international commissions include Benin's new parliament building and the upcoming Las Vegas Museum of Art – said his studio gets many inquiries about building with clay and passive cooling. 'There's a big shift,' he said. 'This would never have happened just a few years ago.'
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
IndiGo flight's delay sparks outrage, passengers flag safety concerns: ‘Plane making sounds'
Chaos unfolded onboard a Mumbai-Varanasi Indigo flight late Saturday evening after the aircraft faced a two hour-delay in take-off. The flight, carrying 176 passengers, was facing technical snag.(HT Photo) In a purported video being circulated on social media, passengers can be seen agitated while the flight crew is trying to pacify them. The crew can be seen requesting passengers to be seated patiently while the ground staff completed the checks for the aircraft. At one point, the airhostess says that filming inside the aircraft was not allowed. However, the passengers retort saying that recording the video was important, and citing safety concerns in the aircraft. The flight, carrying 176 passengers, was facing technical snag. According to flightradar24, the flight 6E 5028 took off from the Mumbai airport at 9.53 pm, over two hours after its departure time. It landed in Varanasi at 11.40 pm. 'Your flight has not taken off for the past hour, aircraft making sounds and you are telling us that shooting a video is not allowed?' a passenger questioned. Another asked, 'Does our life have no value?' Following this, the airhostess folds her hands and tells the fliers that all checks on the aircraft had been completed. The remark further enraged the passengers, who asked why the checks were being done after boarding. Also Read | Five Indian airlines, 183 technical snags, 7 months. What government said "What if something happens in the air? Who will take that risk?" a passenger asked. The passengers also demand an 'alternate solution', saying that the crew members should also cooperate with them. 'You (crew) expect us to cooperate with you. You guys should also cooperate with us,' the passengers said. Pilot reassures passengers, clarifies safety concerns Following this, the pilot of the aircraft asked the passengers to sit down, adding that the doors would not be closed till the passengers were satisfied. 'Let's talk, but please sit down. We will not close the door till you are satisfied, but please sit down. Let us clarify all the doubts,' the pilot, Captain Urvashi, said. The pilot assured the passengers that the flight was ready for take-off in ten minutes, and said they had faced the delay because every system was checked thoroughly. 'If you do not resort to chaos, I guarantee you we will all reach Varanasi,' the pilot said, while some of the passengers chanted 'Har Har Mahadev'. 'You have to trust me that if there was any issue, I would not fly this plane,' Captain Urvashi said, adding that the aircraft was fit to fly.
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Nag Panchami 2025: Is the festival on July 28 or 29? Know correct date, shubh muhurat, puja vidhi and significance
Nag Panchami 2025: Per Hindu beliefs, Shukla Paksha Panchami during the month of Sawan/Shravan is observed as Nag Panchami. Usually, Nag Panchami day falls two days after Hariyali Teej, which was observed on July 27. Nag Panchami 2025: Every year, Nag Panchami falls two days after Hariyali Teej. This year, it will be observed on July 29. (HT Photo) Also Read | This Teej, ghevar goes gourmet with modern reinventions Per the English calendar, Nag Panchami falls in the months of July and August. On this day, women devotees worship Nag Devta (serpent god) and offer milk to snakes. They also pray for the wellness of their brothers and family. Here's everything you need to know about this day. Nag Panchami 2025: Date and shubh muhurat This year, many devotees have confusion over when to mark the festival of Nag Panchami because the muhurat starts a day before. Here's everything you need to know according to Drik Panchang: This year, Nag Panchami is on Tuesday, July 29. Nag Panchami Puja Muhurat - 5:41 AM to 8:23 AM The shubh muhurat will last for 2 hours and 43 minutes. Panchami Tithi Begins - 11:24 PM on July 28 Panchami Tithi Ends - 12:46 AM on July 30 Brahma Muhurta - 4:17 AM to 4:59 AM Abhijit Muhurta - 12:00 PM to 12:55 PM Vijaya Muhurta - 2:43 PM to 3:37 PM Sunrise - 5:41 AM Sunset - 7:14 PM Moonrise - 9:50 AM Additionally, due to the ongoing Sawan celebrations, this time there is also a coincidence of Mangala Gauri Vrat on Nag Panchami. Nag Panchami 2025: Puja vidhi and significance On the auspicious occasion of Nag Panchami, devotees should wake up early and wear clean clothes. To perform the rituals, spread a red cloth on a wooden stand and place the idol of the snake god on it. Offer milk, water, turmeric, rice, flowers, roli, and sweets during worship and recite the story of Nag Panchami. Per Drik Panchang, it is believed that if devotees worship snakes on this festival, their prayers reach the serpent gods, which reduces any negative presence in their lives. Additionally, this festival is a symbol of respect for the Nag Devta and his protection. It is said that worshipping on this day brings happiness and prosperity to the house. In the Hindu calendar, some days are considered significant to worship serpent Gods and Panchami Tithi, especially during the Shravan month, is considered highly auspicious.
