Greater Chennai Corporation on Tuesday announced the launch of the dump reclamation project in the city.
Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru and Health Minister Ma. Subramanian launched the biomining project in Perungudi dump in the presence of Municipal Administration and Water Supply Secretary Shiv Das Meena and Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi.
The Perungudi dump reclamation project, using biomining technology, hopes to reclaim 94.42 acres of land that has been polluted because of 16,26,038 cubic metres of municipal solid waste.
The total area of Perungudi dump is 225 acres, which is an encroachment on the Pallikaranai marshland. Residents in the area have been protesting against the dumping of waste for the past few decades.
Tenders floated
The Corporation floated a tender in November 2020, dividing the reclamation of the dump into six packages.
Of the six packages, packages 3, 4 and 5 were awarded to Zigma Global Environ Solutions, which is said to be one of the largest biomining companies in India. In package 3, biomining will be carried out on 35.5 acres of the dump. In package 4, an area of 22.36 acres will be covered. In package 5, another 36.56 acres of land will be reclaimed.
The project was awarded in February 2021 and is set to be completed within 39 months, the officials said.
Zigma started the commercial production of the package 5 in October 2021.
Officials said reclamation of land at the dump would help reduce the carbon dioxide emission by 3,75,342 tonne every year. The process will produce refuse derived fuel (RDF) which will be used as an alternative fuel to coal in cement plants.
The processing of RDF in Perungudi dump is expected to result in the savings of 2,29,557 tonnes of carbon, which is equivalent to the carbon sequestered by 2,81,248 acres of forests in one year or planting of 37,95,774 tree seedlings grown for 10 years, officials said.
Machine commissioned
In Kodungaiyur dump in north Chennai, Mr. Nehru and HR and CE Minister P.K. Sekarbabu launched the processing machine for construction debris. Dumping of construction debris has led to the accumulation of a huge quantity of waste in Kodungaiyur dump.
