Pune: The immediate fallout of the Moshi waste depot shutdown after last week’s tragedy is a city staring at piles of accumulated garbage in every nook and corner without a disposal destination.The depot has been shut since Wednesday after a mountain of garbage collapsed on the waste-to-energy plant’s administrative building and claimed nine lives. It also crippled Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s waste collection and disposal network.Health department officials said the suspension of dumping operations has disrupted the entire waste management chain, affecting the collection, transportation, and disposal of garbage, and has led to the accumulation of unprocessed waste. They will meet municipal commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi to discuss immediate measures to restore waste disposal operations.Pradeep Thengal, deputy municipal commissioner and head of the health department, said temporary dumping is being carried out wherever space is available. He added, “We have identified small open spaces to store the waste, but they too are fast running out of capacity. Such arrangements can work for a day or two, but when the disruption continues, it is an extreme challenge.”Several grounds identified as temporary dumping sites have either reached capacity or are facing stiff resistance from residents. Officials said transfer stations, where waste is temporarily stored before being transported to the landfill, are also nearing saturation, forcing the civic administration to scout for additional locations.Thengal said, “Identifying alternative sites is another challenge. Whenever we identify an open space for temporary dumping, local residents oppose the move and do not allow waste to be stored there.”Residents from several localities said collection vehicles had either stopped visiting their neighbourhoods or were arriving after prolonged delays. While some areas have not seen garbage collection for the last two to three days, others have reported disruptions for more than five days.“Our collection vehicles have to pass over the same landfill section that collapsed, so every decision has to be taken keeping the safety of workers and drivers in mind. We cannot risk sending vehicles over an unstable landfill,” Thengal said.Although fresh waste was being dumped on the rear side of the site, vehicles use the same approach road across the garbage mound. “If the landfill has become unstable due to heavy rain and a vehicle were to slide or sink, it could lead to another serious accident,” he added.Municipal commissioner Vijay Suryanwanshi said the situation is critical but efforts are being made to bring it in under control. “For now, we are taking help from Alandi Municipal Council and Khadki Cantonment Board to dump or process our waste in their facilities. A review meeting is planned with officials from the health department to address the problem,” he added.
