Gorai dumping ground to be revamped

Residents of Gorai have reason to cheer as the Gorai dumping ground is gearing up to metamorphose into a green mound.

Residents of Gorai have reason to cheer as the Gorai dumping ground is gearing up to metamorphose into a green mound. It will host a park and if possible a gold course, at a height of 31 meter from the ground, overseeing the picturesque creek. Relief has come for the residents of the area after 25 years as the ground was till now being used to dump the city8217;s 1200 tonne of garbage.

While the stench and the heaps of garbage have been covered up, it will still take another three-five years, till the revamped dumping ground cum 8216;green park8217; is open to public. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has completed 90 per cent of the work related to the closure of the Gorai dumping ground following a Supreme Court directive on shutting it as the place had attained its maximum capacity of 1200 tonne/day .

8220;Municipal solid waste has been scientifically composted and arranged in layers at the height of 31 meter to form a mount slope and has been covered with high density plastic so that rain water does not seep in the garbage and decompose it,8221; said executive engineer Solid Waste Management, Pundlik Awate .

8220;A geo-thermal net covered with asbestos will be put up on the plastic which will later have 300 cm of soil layer and will be covered with grass and bushes,8221; he added.

The revamped dump mound will also have around 40 wells which will collect methane gas. 8220;Methane gas would be produced from the decomposition of the waste. Depending upon the quantity of the gas, the civic administration will also be able to generate two- three mega watt electricity,8221; said executive enginner SWM, Ajay Lavgankar.

Non-emission of methane in the atmosphere is also expected to earn the BMC carbon credits. Certified Emission Reductions CERs or carbon credits of 31033 tons/ annum will be generated annually after the closure of the ground which may be traded in the market.

To prevent black watery Leachate pollutant that seeps through the garbage, from polluting ground water, small construction tracts have been constructed surrounding the 19 hectare dump. The Leachate will be separately collected and then treated at Versova pumping station and later released in sea water.

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The closure of Gorai dumping ground is being carried by Indian firm, United Phosphorus Ltd and Dutch firm Van Der Weil at the cost of Rs 37 crore.