The Hindu 29.03.2017
BBMP looks to bury the RDF threat
Plan to sell 20,000 tonnes of refuse-derived fuel to cement companies fails due to transportation cost
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which is at a loss to
dispose of 20,000 tonnes of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) accumulated at all
the eight compost-based waste processing plants, now wants to bury the
entire stock in an abandoned stone quarry in the city and cap it with
mud.
The decision comes in the wake of the BBMP’s failure to get
cement factories in Kalaburagi to lift the RDF pile and the two recent
fires at Chigarenahalli and Kannahalli compost plants, which caused much
damage to the plants and the surrounding villagers. RDF, which is the
residue of various types of waste that is shredded and removed of all
moisture, can be used to fuel incinerators in cement factories and is
highly combustible. As the temperature rises, these massive piles of RDF
are a huge fire security risk, one that cement factories are unwilling
to take. “Stocking RDF at the compost-based waste processing plants is
also a risk to infrastructure worth several hundred crores. We have now
decided to bury the entire pile underground in a quarry and [cap it with
mud],” said Sarfaraz Khan, Joint Commissioner, Solid Waste Management,
BBMP.
By capping the combustible RDF with mud, the threat of a
fire will be mitigated. Mr. Khan added that villagers living around the
quarry will also not face any odour-related issues. Moreover, the buried
RDF cache can be retrieved any day, once the cement factories come
around and are ready to lift it. But it is unlikely that the factories
will be willing to pay for the transport. With the nearest cement
factory at Kalaburagi, nearly 600 km from the city, cement factories are
asking for Rs. 2,500 as transportation fee for a tonne of RDF. This
would mean a total of around Rs. 5 crore — an amount the BBMP is not
ready to shell out. However, Mr. Khan said added that even if the BBMP
was prepared to pay the transportation cost, cement factories were
facing a slump post-demonetisation and unwilling to take the RDF.
Fires at plants
A
massive fire broke out at the MSGP compost-plant in Chigarenahalli near
Doddaballapur three days ago, and it took two days to be put out.
The fire was spread over several acres and more than 2,000 tonnes of RDF was burnt down, BBMP officials said.
“Huge
piles of RDF at the plant is what is the biggest risk. We have
protested several times demanding that it at least not be stocked at the
plant, but [our voices] have fallen on deaf ears,”
said B.T. Raghavendra Prasad, a man who lives near the plant.
A
fire broke out at the Kannahalli waste processing plant last weekend,
even as the plant was being redone after it was almost gutted in a
similar fire at the RDF pile last October.