Bids floated for a consultant to provide technical support for MSW in Kochi

As part of the Climate Smart Cities (CSC) programme, Kochi will reportedly soon get aid from a technical consultant for managing its municipal solid waste (MSW), construction and demolition (C&D) waste and plastic waste.Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, a German development agency has partnered with the Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for the CSC programme. And, GIZ is soon expected to sign a note of cooperation with the Kochi Corporation.As reported, bids have been floated by GIZ to identify the consultant who would provide technical support for MSW, including C&D waste and plastic waste management. The consultant will be responsible for: Reporting on existing situation, gaps and provide recommendations, including a road map for further action. Also to be undertaken by the selected consultant: Reviews of the existing system covering all aspects of collection, transportation, treatment and disposal and ongoing projects. And part of the job will also be: Developing a monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system.Reports in the news have also pointed out to a gripping part of this development: Although the project is a component of the Smart Cities programme, the Cochin Smart Mission SPV, which has been formed to implement projects under the Kochi Smart City programme, has been kept out of the loop and is unaware of the project. The project is reportedly being implemented with support of three implementing partners: The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), the German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu) and the Technical University of Berlin (TUBerlin).Apart from Kochi, GIZ is also supporting Bhubaneswar and Coimbatore smart cities in solid waste management as well as to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (part of the CSC project).