Jolted by the recent fire at the Ariyamangalam garbage dump which caused hardship to thousands of residents around the site for nearly a week, the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation has planned to set up another bio-manure manufacturing unit at its Panchapur sewage farm site.
The project to produce bio-manure from municipal solid waste is to be taken up through a private agency under the Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer (BOOT) model. A decision to this effect was taken at the recent Corporation Council meeting when an official resolution on the proposal was approved. The civic body would send a proposal to the Commissioner of Municipal Administration for approval.
Although a similar unit is functioning at the Ariyamangalam garbage dump, its capacity is inadequate given the quantum of solid waste generated in the city. The unit run by a private agency, under the BOOT model, has a capacity to handle about 300 tonnes of solid waste a day.
But the massive dump at Ariyamangalam, spread over an area of 47.70 acres of land, already has over 10.4 lakh tonnes of accumulated garbage. This apart, about 500 tonnes of garbage collected from the city is added to it. The official resolution points out that the solid waste with hazardous material can no longer be segregated and is prone to catch fire frequently, posing an environmental hazard.
A scientific land fill has to be created. The corporation was taking steps to segregate degradable and non-degradable waste at the collection point, the resolution said.
Meanwhile, the corporation has decided to compact a portion of the accumulated garbage at the Ariyamangalam garbage dump using heavy machines to free up about 5.29 acres of land in the north-eastern part of the dump wherever the garbage collected from the city could be dumped.
An official resolution, approved at the council meeting on Monday, pointed out that the garbage dump was set up about 50 years ago. With the sharp increase in population and the extension of the corporation limits, garbage generation has increased manifold.
Accumulated garbage mounds standing up to nine metres in height and haphazard dumping in the fringes has made it difficult for vehicles to access the site. During monsoon season, the corporation vehicles transporting garbage are not even able to enter the dump.
The civic body will hire four excavators and earthmovers, apart from heavy duty trucks to clear the site and compact about 1.97 lakh cubic metres of accumulated garbage.
The work is to be taken up for 30 days at an expenditure of Rs. 44.50 lakh.
According to sources, the corporation was simultaneously exploring options on going in for a scientific land fill and consultations have been held with various expert agencies.
