Ahmedabad: Waste generation in Ahmedabad rose sharply during the four-day festive period from Diwali to Bhai Beej, with the city producing 19,500 metric tonnes (MT) of waste, a 50.2% increase over the 12,980 MT collected during the same period last year, according to data from AMC’s solid waste management department.The rise was attributed to large-scale festive activity, including the bursting of firecrackers across the city.AMC data shows that 5,312 MT of waste was collected on Diwali (Nov 8), followed by 5,160 MT on Bestu Varas, or Gujarati New Year (Nov 10). Another 4,583 MT was cleared on Padtar Diwas (Nov 9), while 4,445 MT was collected on Bhai Beej (Nov 11).To manage the post-Diwali sanitation challenge, the civic body deployed more than 9,500 permanent sanitation workers and over 2,500 Resident Welfare Association (RWA) workers across the city. More than 2,000 workers were assigned for night-cleaning operations, while over 150 special teams were formed for litter picking and clearing firecracker waste.Vijay Mistry, director of AMC’s solid waste management department, said, “Special drives were carried out from Diwali to Bhai Dooj, with teams deployed in several areas to remove garbage and firecracker waste.”
