HUBBALLI: Environmental engineers of the solid waste management (SWM) wing of Huballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) are confident of clearing mountains of garbage created at the dumping yards of the twin cities.
Over the last decade, a series of discussions and meetings have been conducted to dissolve mounds of garbage at these yards. This time, the engineers have decided to take to bio mining, which is a technique to extract/ segregate minerals and useful materials from mounds of waste.
Mallikarjun B E, environmental engineer (SWM wing) said that the waste generated in the city is being dumped at yards located on Karwar Road in Hubballi (17 acres) and at Hosayallpur in Dharwad (16 acres). As the garbage is being discarded at these yards for the last 50 years, mountains of garbage have been formed there, he said.
“According to a survey conducted using drone cameras and other methods, we have found that around 4.8 lakh tonnes of garbage have accumulated in these yards. Of this, nearly 3.6 lakh tonnes are at the Hubballi site,” he informed.
Environmental engineer Nayana K S told TOI that HDMC is striving to end the legacy of dumping waste at these yards. But due to one reason or the other, the work of clearing the accumulated waste was not materialised, she added.
According to Nayana, HDMC had in 2006 planned to set up a plant to generate energy from waste and a proposal was submitted to the government. But the project did not take off, the engineer said, adding she does not remember why exactly the government turned it down then.
Explaining the bio mining process, executive engineer (SWM wing) Santosh Yarangali said sand and mud generated in the mining process can be used for agriculture, and other dry waste can be used as fuel at cement factories.
“We setting ground for bio mining plants. We will implement it as early as possible. The commissioner is also keen to start the work,” he said.
HDMC has already started windrow composting of wet waste at the yard in Dharwad. Officials said they have got the first batch of compost by window composting of wet waste. Having both bio mining and windrow composting plants working is considered a major step in effective management of waste, according to officials.
HDMC commissioner Suresh Itnal said that he attended a meeting on the bio mining project in Bengaluru recently. “We have submitted a proposal of Rs 54 crore to the state government so it can forward it to the Union government. We are confident that the Union government will fund the entire project costing Rs 54 crore. As they have asked to trim the estimate by making slight changes, we will submit the revised proposal. The plants will process 600 tonnes of waste everyday. If the work starts in the next few months, we will end all the legacy of garbage dumping within a year,” he said.