After successful completion of the first phase of Alag Karo – Har Din Teen Bin program, the second phase of the source segregation program – Alag Karo 2.0, was launched in Gurugram earlier this week. Tetra Pak India along with Coca-Cola India and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), has once again joined hands with SAAHAS (a not for profit organization), to extend the program reach in Gurugram as also to select locations in New Delhi.
Marking the commencement of Phase 2 of the Alag Karo program, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram and SAAHAS have signed an MoU to create awareness and implementation of source segregation of waste at Ward levels, including Ward No. 32. While Alag Karo Phase 1 had targeted high-rise residential societies, commercial complexes and institutions, the focus of Phase 2 is directed towards other settlements like independent houses, slums, small shops and street markets in the city.
The Alag Karo 2.0 launch event witnessed participation from wide range of stakeholders across local authorities, RWAs, private partners and NGOs, it highlighted on the importance of citizen engagement in promotion of waste segregation & management and relentless efforts made by the MCG, in ensuring scientific management of city waste.
Building on the milestones of phase 1 of the program, Alag Karo 2.0 is an initiative to take the impact created by the program to the next stage. The main objective of Alag Karo 2.0 is to enhance the understanding and sensitivity towards sustainable waste management by promoting source segregation, and sensitizing over 100,000 people in the city. The program aims at achieving improved recycling rates and reduction in dumping and landfill, through formal engagement with 300 waste workers for training on systematic waste collection and processing. Additionally, the second phase of the program will extend to New Delhi, reaching 2,000 households initially and will render support towards existing Alag Karo RWA volunteers and apartment communities of the program.
Divya Tewari, CEO, SAAHAS, said, “We’ve certainly come a long way. Alag Karo, the program which today is entering into its second stage initially kicked off at a city level, on a smaller scale, say in a single colony or a village. Today, it has branched into a systematic source segregation program with clear and transparent outcomes. Each activity undertaken as a part of the program has brought in new learnings for us and has helped us evolve a detailed step-by-step approach for implementing and sustaining Source Segregation. We are confident that much like the first phase, Alag Karo 2.0 will also be very successful and rewarding. We appreciate the support provided from our program partners, Coca-Cola India, Tetra Pak, GIZ and the local authority – Municipal Corporation of Gurugram.”
India is today facing various environmental challenges, sustainable waste management being one of the most critical ones. Hence, the priority is to shift from the current practice of dumping and burning to sustainable waste management practices that promote segregation, collection, recycling and a circular economy.
