The Hindu 18.04.2013
Rs. 70-cr. project for safe disposal of solid waste
The Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to recycle and safely dispose of the huge stock of solid waste dumped near Chandania hill on the outskirts of the city.
It was decided during a high-level meeting on solid waste management project for the city. The meeting held at Gopalpur was chaired by Ganjam Collector Krishen Kumar and attended by Berhampur MLA R.C.C. Patnaik, Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahy, Berhampur Mayor S.S.Dash, officials of the BMC, officials of International Financial Corporation (IFC) and other organisations interested in the project.
The Rs. 70-crore project for the city will be taken up in the Public-Private Participation (PPP) mode. The BMC is taking up the project in collaboration with International Financial Corporation (IFC), which is providing technological and tactical support. As per the authorities of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC), the tender process for the project is expected to end by July.
The site of the project has been decided to be near Mohuda village on the outskirts of the city. It will come up on an area of around 30 acres. Fifty per cent of the cost of the project will be borne by the IFC. Of the remaining amount, the BMC will get 25 per cent of the investment as grant-in-aid. The rest will be procured as a loan by the BMC.
Survey
As per a survey made in 2009, Berhampur is producing over 150 tons of solid waste every day. The solid waste treatment plant was earlier proposed to be established at Chandania hill on the outskirts of the city. Twenty acres of land was also earmarked for the purpose.
According to the BMC sources, a boundary wall was built up around the land patch at a cost of over Rs. 50 lakh. But it was found that the land at Chandania hill was forest land and unless it was transferred to the Revenue Department and consequently to the BMC, the waste treatment plant cannot be established on the land. So, the new site has been demarcated for the purpose near Mohuda.
But till now solid waste of the city gets dumped near Chandania hill. The delegates, who attended the meeting on solid waste management, also visited the Chandania hill site. It was decided that the huge dump of waste could not left to destroy natural habitat of the area. So, it was decided that measures would be initiated to recycle and safely dispose of the dumped waste.
