Pune, July 3 Bio-chemical called Odofresh helps get rid of odour and flies, was used during recent palkhi procession The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), which has been for long choking from the stench and struggling to come to terms with the resultant houseflies and maggots that 800 tonnes of wet waste generates each day, may have finally found a solution to its problems. The magic wand that the civic administration claims to have acquired is a bio-chemical called Odofresh produced by a city-based company. The city generates 1,200 tonnes of waste every day, of which 400 tonnes of solid waste gets consumed for vermin-composting. The bio-chemical was initially used at Urli Devachi garbage dumping ground and proved to be effective to get rid of odour and flies. Then as a pilot, the PMC tried out the Odofresh treatment of the massive quantum of waste generated during the recent palkhi procession through the city. Initially, the plan is to go for bio-chemical treatment at the garbage depot and seven garbage transfer centres spread across the city. It would later be introduced for the garbage bins. This treatment regime is expected to come as a major relief to hundreds of conservancy staff of Pune who handle this wet waste day in and day out in conditions hazardous to their health. Mohan Kulkarni of Kaam Bio Systems Pvt Ltd, which is supplying the imported product to the PMC, said the advantage of the biodegradable Odofresh is that it counters the growth of seven-eight microbes against only two microbes now. "The product is being used for the first time in the country by a civic body. Many five-star hotels are already using it,' he said. The company would provide training to the conservancy staff and look after the operations for three months, Kulkarni said. Odofresh comes at a cost of Rs 1,000 per litre but can be used in a diluted form