The trial run of the newly-built biogas plant at Connemara Market in
Palayam was inaugurated by Mayor K Chandrika  on Thursday. The plant
generates electricity and this was successfully tested during the trial
run.

The plant, touted to be the one with largest capacity in the
City Corporation, can process up to two tonnes of waste a day. When the
plant starts working in full swing, it is expected to generate three to
five kilowatts of power a day.

Initially, the plant will process
only the waste generated in the market and there are plans to bring
garbage from particular residential areas in the Palayam ward where any
kind of garbage processing is difficult due to acute space shortage.

According
to Palayam ward councillor and Welfare Standing Committee chairman of
the Corporation Palayam Rajan, “until the setting up of the biogas
plant, the waste generated in the market was being buried.

Meanwhile,
there are also areas in the ward where even pipe-compost could not be
set up and we are thinking of helping them to solve the garbage crisis.”
But the collection of waste from the said areas of Palayam would be
done only after deploying enough Kudumbashree workers.

The
electricity generated from the plant is to be used to light lamps in the
market and to arrange electric lamps for the fish vendors who carry out
business in the evenings with the help of kerosene lamps and candles
now.