Around 2,000 people have expressed willingness to set up biogas plants in their property as part of Attingal municipality’s efforts to promote decentralised garbage management plan. The plan was to put up plants in houses, restaurants, and educational institutions.
The municipality, which won several awards from the State government for putting in place a mechanism for collection and disposal of waste, had drawn up an action plan to encourage people to dispose of waste at source itself.
2,000 applications
Accordingly, the civic body had sought applications from residents for establishing biogas plants and pipe-composts, and around 2,000 people responded. Vice-Chairman of the municipality M. Pradeep told The Hindu that there was good response for biogas plants. However, there were not many takers for pipe-compost, he added.
The Kasaragod Social Service Society (KSSS), which manages the municipality’s waste treatment plants, had already procured air-tight tanks and stove for supplying to beneficiaries. The plants, which can process 5 kg of solid waste, would be set up from August, each at Rs.8,000.
The Suchitwa Mission had provided Rs.1.24 crore as subsidy for the programme, he said. Seventy-five per cent of the total cost towards installation of the plant would be borne by the Suchitwa Mission and the municipality.
The decentralisation move was aimed at lessening the burden of the existing treatment plants, he said.
The civic body had started mechanisation of the plant. A sum of Rs. 23 lakh had been set aside for the mechanisation process.
The work on a sanitary landfill for the disposal of non-biodegradable waste in one-acre of land near the treatment plants at Chudukad was expected to be completed in two months.
In the landfill, which is a mandatory requirement as per the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, waste is deposited in thin layers in a well-protected pit and compressed using machinery. Several layers of waste are placed inside and then compacted on top of each other to form a refuse cell. The refuse cell will then be covered with thick soil.
