Mulund dumpyard in Mumbai closed 

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday stopped dumping waste at the city’s second largest landfill at Mulund, paving the way for its scientific reclamation.

Mumbai generates 7,200-7,500 metric tonnes of waste daily. So far, Mulund dumping ground handled 1,500-2,000 metric tonnes of waste a day. In the absence of an alternative site, 1,000 metric tonnes of waste will be sent to Deonar and 500 metric tonnes to Kanjurmarg dumping ground.

Deonar, the largest landfill in the city, holds 12 million metric tonnes of waste, with 3,000 metric tonnes of waste being dumped daily.

According to officials,the waste-to-energy plant at Deonar is still in a nascent stage, with its bidding process underway. It will take at least one year to shut it. Around 3,500 tonnes of waste is treated scientifically at the Kanjurmarg dumping ground daily.

Earlier this year, BMC had issued a letter of intent to a contractor from Nashik to start the process of reclaiming the 24-hectare Mulund dumpyard. This includes biomining – extraction of heavy metals using microorganisms – and systematic disposal of the 70 lakh metric tonnes of waste that is present at the site to some other location. The project will cost ₹588 crore. With the presence of metals such as mercury and lead, neutralising the toxicity of the ground will take five years.

The contractor will also have to safely capture the methane trapped in waste, which can be used to generate electricity. The contractor will be the owner of the final product — electricity or compost – generated using the waste. The civic body can also buy the final product. Once the waste is processed, the civic body will use the land in the eastern suburbs for public amenities or as an open space, said a civic official.

First Published: Oct 01, 2018 22:51 IST