Vacant plot in Mysuru locality swept clean

Mysuru: As the countdown to the Swacch Survekshan – a survey conducted by the central government to assess and subsequently rank cities based on cleanliness – begins, Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) is pulling out all stops to reclaim the top spot, which it held for two years in succession, in 2014 and ’15. To indicate its seriousness in the endeavor, MCC swept a vacant site in Gayathripuram that had turned into a dumpyard clean. The site had been used by locals to unload trash for nearly two years.
The survey for 2019 will commence on January 4, and among the many criteria used to rate level of cleanliness in cities are collection, transportation and processing of solid waste, sanitation and public feedback. Since citizen feedback accounts for 25% of the points awarded to the city, MCC is keen on showing the public it is the earnest when it comes to keeping residential localities clean.

MCC health officer DG Nagaraj said that the agency will erect boards informing citizens about Swacch Survekshan in all 65 wards under its purview. “We will seek assistance, and suggestions, from citizens to keep the city clean. The Union ministry of housing and urban affairs has developed an application to help citizens bring issues to public notice. Residents can use this app to air their grievances, and upload their complaints on the app,” said Nagaraj.

Waste-to-energy plant in Mysuru

Mysuru: The graph of the amount of garbage being generated in the city is showing no signs of a downward slide. Moreover, the solid waste management plants, including the Vidranyapuram Sewage Farm, are working at full capacity. Against this backdrop, the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has decided to adopt the Goa model of dealing with waste – turning it into a source of energy.

Mysuru mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath, MCC commissioner KH Jagadeesh and the civic agency’s health officer DG Nagaraj, who were in Goa recently, said that they had compiled information on operating such a plant in Mysuru. Nagaraj told TOI that the Goa Waste Management Corporation, headed by the state’s chief minister, transformed 110 metric tonnes of garbage into 9 Mega Watt (MW) of power. “The power generated at the unit is subsequently supplied to the grid. This plant has been running for the past two years,” Nagaraj added.

Mysuru generates round 450 tonnes of garbage on a daily basis. “The state government has directed municipal bodies of three cities – Mysuru, Mangaluru and Hubballi-Dharwad – to submit feasibility reports, prepared by a third party, on establishment of waste-to-energy plants in the respective cities,” Nagaraj said.

MCC had entrusted the job of preparing the report to an IDEC company, and the document was subsequently submitted to the government in November. “We are planning on setting up a plant that can process and transform 500 metric tonnes of waste to power under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model,” the MCC health officer said.

In the meanwhile, MCC has discussed the project with officials of the urban development department, and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB). “We are awaiting clearance from the state government, and KSPCB. We will decide on how to proceed once the project obtains the necessary approvals,” said Nagaraj.