If everything goes according to the Udupi City Municipal Council's (CMC) plans, the Beedinagudde garbage dumping yard will be converted into a playground, a small park and a walking track within a year.
The city generates about 50 tonnes of garbage daily. Till about a couple of years ago, the garbage was being dumped in the four-acre yard at Beedinagudde, which is in the heart of the city.
Although the garbage generated in the city is now being taken to the solid waste management plant at Alevoor, some people are still dumping garbage at the Beedinagudde yard.
A strong stench emanates from this yard and the place is an eyesore. There is often a thick cloud of smoke as rag-pickers keep setting fire to the garbage.
CMC Commissioner Gokuldas Nayak told The Hindu on Tuesday that the garbage dumped hitherto at Beedinagudde yard had dried up and was non-toxic. It could be used for land-filling, he said.
The plan and design for constructing the playground, park and walking track at Beedinagudde is expected to be ready within a month. The surface levelling work will be completed before the rains begin.
According to CMC president Dinakar Shetty, the park and the walking track will be constructed on the outer periphery of the yard, while the playground will be in inner area. The cost of the entire project is estimated to be Rs. 2 crore.
Meanwhile, the CMC has taken up segregation of waste at source in two wards. Every house in the area has been provided with two buckets for wet and dry wastes. Self-help groups (SHGs) have been asked to collect waste from each house. “This system will be extended to the rest of 33 wards in a phased manner,” Mr. Nayak said.
In the next stage, the waste will be taken to the solid waste management plant at Alevoor for treatment and conversion into manure. The dry waste will be further divided into plastic and non-plastic items and used for recycling. “Done on a large scale, this will become a source of income for the CMC,” Mr. Nayak said.
