3 min readChandigarhJul 8, 2013 01:49 AM IST
First published on: Jul 8, 2013 at 01:49 AM IST
Even as the land being used for dumping ground in the city is depleting and there is a lack of alternatives,the quantity of waste going to the ground has also witnessed an increase. This has forced the municipal corporation to look for other options to dispose off waste.
Against the 350 metric tonne of garbage that was to be processed at the Garbage Processing Plant every day,just 250 metric tonne is being processed with the rest being rejected. The attempts of the UT Administration to find additional land for a dumping ground have not borne fruit. With Chandigarh being a landlocked city,the scope is limited. The corporation is now exploring the possibility of installing a bio-methanation plant and vermi-composting of leaves to tackle a part of the waste.
DUMPING GROUND
As many as 45 acres of land was available at the dumping ground in Dadumajra for throwing garbage. Of this,only 40 per cent of the land remains with the rest having been filled up. In one part,land filling has already been done. Additional land for the dumping ground was proposed near Patiala ki Rao. However,the proposal was rejected and now,a greenbelt will come up in the area. The attempts by the Administration to ask for land in Mohali to have a combined dumping ground also did not bear fruit.
The Garbage Processing Plant was set up in Dadumajra in 2008 after concerns were raised over the dumping ground filling up. It was to process 350 metric tonnes of garbage every day. However,at present,just 250 metric tonnes is being processed with the rest being thrown at the dumping ground. Of this,a substantial part that is dumped is waste from hotels and the grain market. The plant management has stopped accepting horticulture waste as well.
PROPOSALS ON ANVIL
The municipal corporation is exploring the possibility of installing a bio-methanation plant in the city. This will handle the waste from the grain market and hotels,taking care of a substantial part of the waste thrown at the dumping ground.
The civic body is also planning to install separate dustbins in areas where hotels are present so that the waste can be dumped in these. While these have been set up at Sector 35,next in line is Sector 26. Heaps of leaves in all sectors is another problem. A proposal for vermi-composting is being explored so that the manure made from the leaves can be utilised.
CONSULTANT
The municipal corporation’s proposal to hire consultants from National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) is in deep freeze. Last year,the then mayor,along with some councillors and officials,had visited the institute to explore the possibility of engaging NEERI. The proposal ran into rough weather due to a controversy over the trip. The UT Administration had invited experts in the area for a discussion around two years ago with no concrete results.
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