Nagpur: There seems to be no immediate ray of light for thousands of people suffering due to unscientific dumping of waste in Bhandewadi.
There is no clarity on when the Rs207-crore waste-to-energy project of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) will start. As recently reported by TOI, the much-delayed project will be delayed further as the civic agency is waiting for state chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to perform the bhoomipuja.
Once the work begins, it will take around two years to complete the plant. Considering that the city generates around 1,200 metric tonne of garbage daily, in another two years as much as 8.76 lakh metric tonne of garbage will pile up over the existing 18 lakh metric tonne of waste (as per a study by a German organization) which is lying at Bhandewadi.
NMC claims that 200 metric tonne of daily waste is being treated by Hanjer Biotech. Even if this is to be believed, more than 7 lakh metric tonne of waste will get dumped at the site.
Moreover, the waste-to-energy plant, the generation capacity of which is 11.5 megawatt, will process only 600 tonne of waste every day. As per civic officials, the remaining waste will be treated depending on its type. For example, biodegradable waste will be sent for composting while construction and debris waste will be reused.
Experts say that though a good initiative, the waste-to-energy plant is not a solution for tackling existing heaps of garbage. “The plant’s capacity is already less when compared to daily generation of city’s waste,” pointed out an official from state pollution control board.
For getting rid of the existing solid waste, NMC plans to implement the technology of bio-mining in which the waste is loosened by harrowing and sprayed with composting bio cultures. However, experts have been raising doubts over the efficacy of this technology. A study conducted by Geman experts last year also stated that the technology faces challenges because of incidences of huge fire and odour issues.
Last year, over 200 windrows (rows of heaps of solid waste) created for bio-composting were destroyed due to repeated fires. According to officials, 1 windrow holds 400 metric tonne of municipal solid waste. Going by the calculations, a sizeable part of the 80,000 metric tonne of garbage was likely to be burned, leading to severe air pollution.
“It is difficult to say if bio-mining will work at Bhandewadi as the waste is unsegregated and frequently is on fire. Besides, bio-mining is a long procedure,” said Kaustav Chatterjee, founder of NGO Green Vigil. He added that the best possible solutions are either to seal waste in a scientific landfill or capping it.
With no clarity, residents fear they will have to suffer more. “The water we drink is contaminated, the air we breathe is toxic. People are already falling sick and many are suffering from respiratory problems. We don’t know what will happen in another few years,” they said.
FOREVER CATCHING UP
Daily waste generation | 1,200 MT
Minimum time for waste-to-energy plant to start | 2 years
Fresh waste that will pile up in 2 years | Over 7 lakh MT
Existing waste not cleared | Over 18 lakh MT
Capacity of waste-to-energy plant | 600 MT every day
