Changing City: BMC to keep close watch on Deonar dumping ground using solar-powered cameras

Spanning across 120 hectares in Mumbai's eastern suburbs, the Deonar landfill site poses various challenges including the threat of accidental fires, illegal dumping, etc, necessitating constant surveillance.

The project aims to closely monitor activities at the city’s oldest dumping ground, aligning with the BMC's goal to clear the massive garbage pile and repurpose the land in future. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is actively pursuing the deployment of solar-powered CCTV cameras and associated systems at the Deonar dumping ground. Spanning across 120 hectares in Mumbai’s eastern suburbs and established in 1927, this landfill necessitates close surveillance, prompting the civic body’s intent to install both day and night vision-enabled cameras at strategic locations. The Deonar landfill currently has around 2 crore cubic metres of waste.

Significance: The project aims to closely monitor activities at the city’s oldest dumping ground, aligning with the BMC’s goal to clear the massive garbage pile and repurpose the land in future.

No. of cameras proposed: 40 cameras, of which 25 will be fixed ones and 15 will be pan-tilt-zoom cameras operated on solar power.

Also Read | India’s oldest, largest landfill: How BMC plans to clear the mountain of garbage at Mumbai’s Deonar

Tenure: 2 years

Estimated cost of project: Rs 1.10 crore

Why solar-powered CCTV cameras?

Lack of power supply within the dumping ground.
Proposed solution only involves the installation of CCTV cameras equipped with solar panels and batteries.
For data communication, a wireless system utilising industrial-grade radios will be implemented.
Waste collection in Mumbai

During 2022-23, a total of 6,385 metric tonnes of garbage was collected across the city’s 24 municipal wards. This marks a 15 per cent increase from 2021-22. A substantial portion of this waste undergoes processing at BMC’s Kanjurmarg waste facility. The remaining is sent to Deonar.

Official speak

Sudhakar Shinde, Additional Municipal Commissioner, Solid Waste Management Department, BMC, underscores the importance of vigilant monitoring at Deonar. “The century-old waste dumping ground poses various challenges such as accidental fires, illegal dumping, biomining complications, and security issues. The installation of solar-powered CCTV cameras serves as a critical solution, addressing the absence of direct power facilities on-site and ensuring continuous monitoring,” he says.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram