The situation of municipal solid waste dumping yards has become contentious with garbage being piled up for years together with no means of disposal. There have been concerns about air and groundwater pollution.
The GVMC has admitted that its dumping yard at Kapulupppada is not scientifically managed.
Spread over 80 acres of site, garbage is being dumped at the yard for nearly 17 years.
Strongly pitching for decentralised waste management, member of the Supreme Court appointed committee on municipal solid waste Almitra Patel says the waste dumped in the yards could be brought down to 15 per cent of the present quantity by bio-mining.
It prevents smell, leachate or production of methane. But after clearing the existing dumping yards by bio-mining, further dumping there should be stopped.
She is also of the view that buffer zones should be created along the dumping yards to prevent neighbouring areas being affected by pollution.
Ms. Patel says the Kapuluppada dumping yard can be reclaimed by using a garbage-sorting machine as is being done at Warangal.
In three streams, the machine separates sand and gravel, biodegradable waste and clean and dust-free plastic that can be used in laying roads.
Stop burning
However, Ms. Patel who visited the Kapuluppada yard during her recent visit advises against burning at the yard. Once the fire starts it produces methane and pouring water will further decompose it.
According to solid waste management activist Suresh Bhandari, because of the heat generated in the dump yard smoke keeps coming out of it. “There will be certainly impact on the ambient air and groundwater quality. It needs to be studied by the pollution control board,” he says.
He cites the goings on in Bangalore where the solid waste management is being monitored by the Karnataka High Court directly and says some measures should be taken before the situation gets worse here.
