The Times of India 24.08.2009

Delhi is top garbage producer

TNN 23 August 2009, 11:45pm IST

Delhi is the highest municipal solid waste producer in the country followed by Mumbai, says a survey by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Delhi produces 6,800 tonnes of solid waste a day, while Mumbai generates 6,500 tonnes but in the absence of scientific management facilities these cities were dumping the wastes in landfill sites, says the survey that covered 22 cities across the country.

Mumbai sends 100 per cent of its waste to dumping sites followed by Delhi's 94 per cent, the survey revealed. In fact, as many as 14 cities dump 75 per cent of their solid wastes, which is as high as 15,785 tonnes a day, indicating the lack of adequate treatment and disposal facilities.

"In cities like Delhi, Faridabad, Greater Mumbai, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Pune and Surat, which are at the higher end of the waste generation spectrum, more than 80 per cent of the waste is disposed off in landfills,'' the report said. It pointed out that waste treatment options such as composting and waste-to-energy plants were not being adequately explored by the big cities, which generate high percentage of waste.

The survey reveals the enormity of the solid waste problem in urban centres where most of the waste is getting disposed in existing unorganised dumpsites without any scientific treatment. A surprising and disturbing fact unveiled through the survey is the absence of designated dumpsites in certain cities which results in the waste lying in the open in many of the outskirts of the big cities.

However, with cities like Delhi, Greater Mumbai, Jaipur, Lucknow, Pune, Surat and Ahmedabad, which supply over 80 per cent of their waste to dump sites, there is a huge potential for landfill gas-based energy projects. Landfill gas is the natural by-product of the decomposition of solid waste in landfills and is comprised primarily of carbon dioxide and methane. It can be used as a substitute for electricity generated by thermal or coal.

Interestingly, only 5 out of the 22 cities have conducted a feasibility study on methane emissions Delhi, Ahmedabad, Surat, Greater Mumbai and Jamshedpur. The business house has also suggested public private partnership as well as roping in of private players, which have better knowhow and resources to work hand in hand with the authorities to ensure proper waste management in cities.

The Hindu - Karnataka 21.08.2009

Rainwater will not go waste in Mysore Palace

Shankar Bennur

— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

Towards self-sufficiency: An underground tank being constructed for storing rainwater on the premises of Mysore Palace.

MYSORE: Amba Vilas Palace, popularly known as Mysore Palace, may soon become one of the few palaces in the country to harvest rainwater by adopting proven methods to address its water needs, especially for maintaining its 28-acre garden.

Palace Board, the caretaker of the palace, with technical support from the National Institute of Engineering - Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology (NIE-CREST), Mysore, is developing systems to harvest over 23 lakh litres of rainwater.

Two tanks with storage capacity of 14,58,899 litres and 8,50,147 litres have been constructed on the palace premises. If the tanks are filled, water requirements of the palace can be met for an entire year.

Presently, water requirements of the palace are met by supply from the Mysore City Corporation (MCC) and eight borewells. The horticulture wing of the Palace Board requires about 18 lakh to 20 lakh litres of water a year to maintain the palace garden.

Rainwater collected on the ground, garden and the palace terrace will be let into the tanks through channels. Check-dams and soaking pits are being constructed to recharge groundwater.

Deputy Director of the board P.V. Awaradi told The Hindu that rainwater harvesting systems were needed in the palace to become self-sufficient in water.

“Though we have eight borewells and water supply from the corporation, we thought of harvesting rainwater because the yield will be high as the area for harvest is big.

In case of water scarcity in summer, we can utilise the harvested rainwater,” he said. Moreover, the systems would also help recharge groundwater, he added.

According to board Engineer Shivakumar, temporary arrangements have been made to store rainwater collected on the palace terrace and the ground in one of the tanks. “The project will be complete once the channels are connected to the two tanks.” He said that one tank had five compartments and the other had three for supply management.

Assistant Horticulture Officer of the palace Venugopal said the palace garden had been developed on 28 acres of land. A proposal had been sent to the Palce Board for developing a garden on 6.5 acres of land on the periphery of the palace. The authorities have plans to spruce up the garden and lawns at the palace in the run up to Dasara.