No cure for hill-like garbage dump

Ludhiana: The rising height and girth of garbage at Ludhiana MC’s dump on Tajpur Road has started resembling a small hill and it is unlikely that this eyesore would be removed in near future. This is because it has been poorly managed since 1970 and now comprises nearly 20 lakh metric tonnes of waste.
The dump continues to grow as the city keeps generating more trash every day. Ludhiana has been generating over 1,100 tonnes of garbage daily, according to A2Z, the company which has been managing the city’s waste since 2011. In spite of having invested in a waste-management plant, the city continues to struggle with bridging the gap between the trash it generates and the infrastructure it has for managing garbage.
A2Z upgraded the treatment capacity of its waste-magement plant, which uses the refuse-derived fuel formula, in 2018, but to no avail. The compost plant, which was to supplement the work done by the plant, is yet to be made operational. Same is the case with the MC’s plan to start treating the garbage scientifically.
After the upgrade, the plant’s capacity to treat waste daily has risen to 1,600 tonnes. Though the plant’s capacity is more than the waste generated by the city daily, it would take several years before all the waste could be treatded.
In festival season, the city produces up to 1,250 tonnes daily. A2Z project manager Vishant Chaudhary said, “The garbage which is lying at the dump is old. If it has to be processed, it will be possible only with the help of bio-remediation method, but the MC will have to pay extra for that.”
The waste plant also generates around 11MW electricity daily.
When contacted, Ludhiana mayor Balkar Sandhu said they were looking at ways throught which garbage-management is no longer a problem for the icty. “Once we find a solution, we will take a decision too,” he said.