Over the last 9 months, all the stakeholders in Nainital Cantt., including the Cantt. Board, waste workers and citizens have come together to ensure 100 percent collection and segregation of waste into 4 parts; dry, wet, hazardous and domestic biomedical. All the 234 property units in the area are fitted with QR codes, which are scanned by waste workers upon segregated collection. The same process is followed at the transfer stations, transport vehicles and the Dry Waste Collection Centres, thereby ensuring end traceability to the waste management process, and improving the efficiency of this important public service. The technology also enables performance measurement and incentivization of waste workers, and speedy redressal of any complaints. 22 waste workers in the area have also been trained in the use of technology and provided with smartphones. Waste workers in Nainital now say that, We now use mobile phones for our work, which gives us a sense of dignity. Now that our Cantt has been awarded by the Defence Minister, our motivation has grown manifold and we will work harder to make it cleaner.
Mr. Koli Akash , Chief Executive Officer, Cantonment Board Nainital said, This is a proud moment for all the residents of Nainital Cantt and the Hilldaari team. Nainital is an ecologically sensitive zone, and it is imperative for us to provide models for managing these areas better. I hope we will be able to inspire other hill cities to learn from our experience.
On this special occasion, Mr. Brij Tiwari, project lead of Hilldaari Nainital shared that This has been Hilldaaris first opportunity of working with a Cantonment Board, and the experience has taught us a lot, both in terms of how fast the systems can move, and how readily people come together for change. We are implementing the Hilldaari project in 6 different cities across 5 States of the country, and this recognition has given us more confidence in our change- making process, especially our digital interventions. With renewed rigor, we will continue to chase our mission of keeping waste out of the landfills.
About Hilldaari Project:
HILLDAARI is an initiative supported by Nestlé India to develop inclusive, contextualised and resilient models for solid and plastic waste management, in the tourist cities of the country. It is currently being implemented in Mussoorie, Nainital, Dalhousie, Ponda, Mahabaleshwar and Munnar by Stree Mukti Sanghatana, with Recity Network Private Limited as the technical partner. The initiative has facilitated the diversion of 4668 metric tons of waste from landfills and is progressively working towards professionalizing 220 waste collectors and informal waste pickers through a multi-collaborative approach with municipal councils, citizens, contractors, waste workers and influencers.
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