The GHMC is contemplating allowing mini vermi-compost plants in 15 places to begin with to reduce the amount of municipal solid waste to be transported to the Jawaharnagar dump.
The compost plants are proposed to set up near the garbage transfer or segregation sites which are slightly far away from the habitations so that there won’t be any opposition from the local people. Gradually, the plan is set up one such plant covering all the divisions, Additional Commissioner (Health & Sanitation) L. Vandan Kumar said.
The idea has come to Commissioner M.T. Krishna Babu during his recent visit to Bangalore where he had noticed that the local municipal authority was taking it up seriously on court directions. The capital here generates 3,800 metric tonnes of garbage a day, of which it has been now established that about 3,200 metric tonnes is transported to the dump yard.
As of now, the garbage is being compacted only and not being used for any other purpose like generating power or pellets or even manure at Jawaharnagar. Ramky Enviro Engineers mandated with the task of constructing the Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Project in the Public, Private Partnership (PPP) mode has just about completed a few tasks at the site.
A compost plant, a garbage-to-power generating plant and a sanitary landfill to store the inert waste are other pending jobs at the tertiary end for which the private firm has been permitted to take up. The municipal corporation’s previous attempts to generate power from waste with the help of private firms have not been very encouraging.
First such plant by Selco started promisingly before falling on the wayside caught in legal tangles with regard to the 10-acre land leased to it, royalty payments and also with tariff issues with the Transmission Corporation of A.P. It did use 500-700 metric tonnes of waste when in operation. Two other firms – RDF and Sree Venkateswara Power Projects are facing their own problems. RDF’s Rs.114 crore 11 MW plant coming up at Bibinagar is awaiting release of funds from the Centre and the GHMC to commission the plant whereas Sree Venkateswara is yet to get off the rails.
Ramky is expected to use 1,700 MTs with the other two to use 700 MTs each, therefore officials say there is enough garbage for the proposed compost plants as the daily turnover will only increase with growth – city and population. An expression of interest is to be called for the plants soon.
