The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi to manage the Ghazipur landfill site, after two people died when a portion of the landfill collapsed three months ago.
While civic agencies in the Capital struggle to manage their landfill sites, South Korea has managed to turn its mountain of trash into a tourist attraction called the Seoul World Cup Park. What was once a 98-metre tall pile trash is now a park with over 30 varieties of plants and 49 species of wildlife. It was opened to the public in 2002, when Seoul hosted the FIFA World Cup.
“It took the government nearly nine yeas to get the park to the state it is in today. Massive amount of soil was transported to cover the landfill, over which trees were planted,” said Heon Woo, a manager at the World Cup Park.
Electricity requirements
Though it has been nearly 15 years since the park was inaugurated, piles of waste are still being degraded below. Pipes have been laid below the layer of soil to trap gases like methane and carbon dioxide. The gases are collected in a tank and help with nearly 30% of the city’s electricity requirements.
“Methane was one of the major gases generated at the landfill. Seoul installed 106 methane gas extraction wells at an interval of 120 metre throughout the site. The gases were channelled into wells using fans. They are used to provide heating at three public sites, including the World Cup Stadium, 40 office buildings, and 16,335 households in the surrounding residential areas,” the manager added.
In 2010, the government constructed hydrogen fuelling stations to power vehicles used to shuttle visitors up and down the hill. Official data show that the park attracts nearly 10 million visitors every year. The government also organises several festivals and performances here, including the famous Silver Grass Festival.
Experts in Delhi said a similar model can be used in Capital but dumping of waste will have to stop.
“Dumping at landfills should not be an option. If we know how to manage, segregate and recycle waste, we will not need a landfill site. If Seoul can do it, we can also redevelop our landfills,” said Sunehri Sinha, director (operations), Waste to Well Being, an NGO that works for waste management.