Kolkata: Following Diwali and Kali Puja celebrations, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) saw a sharp spike in solid waste generation, driven primarily by remnants of heavy firecrackers, burnt shells, earthen tubri pots and other fireworks scattered across the city’s streets.The KMC solid waste management department, which usually transports around 4,500 tonnes of garbage daily from 144 wards, recorded an additional 10% to 15% waste heading to the Dhapa dumping ground post-Diwali night, according to preliminary calculations by officials.The sudden surge was heavily concentrated in neighbourhoods that police stations identified as the city’s worst noise-rule violators. In south Kolkata, areas including Tollygunge, Jadavpur, Behala, Golf Garden, Ballygunge, Garia, Garfa, Haltu, Kasba, and stretches along the EM Bypass saw rampant cracker bursting. In north and central Kolkata, Maniktala, Kankurgachi, Beliaghata, Girish Park, Burrabazar, College Street, Amherst Street, and Wellington were among the areas that generated large volumes of cracker wastes.Sanitation workers faced a tough challenge clearing the debris alongside daily domestic refuse. “It was difficult picking up shells of heavy crackers alongside regular wastes. We had to make second trips back to these neighbourhoods at noon just to clear the pyrotechnic remnants,” said a KMC waste collector deployed in Jadavpur.Meanwhile, waste management experts have raised an alarm over the unsegregated disposal of cracker debris. Since burnt shells and fireworks often retain unexploded residual chemicals, dumping them together with general waste poses a severe fire hazard and risk of explosions.A KMC solid waste management department official said, the volume of cracker remnants will go up when the waste collectors do a round of noise-hit neighbourhoods tomorrow. “As the festivity continues, we know for sure that our waste collectors will need to pick up more cracker remnants tomorrow. It is getting difficult for us to engage our manpower to discharge such additional responsibility,” said the civic official.
