The Hindu 24.11.2009
Sanitary landfills planned at Sewage Farm
Shankar Bennur
| The Rs. 16-crore project will be taken up under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission |
The facility will be set up on build, own, operate and transfer basis
‘It has the capacity to dispose of waste for 17 years’
— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM 
Improving practices: Sanitary landfills will be set up at the Sewage Farm in Mysore to dispose of non-biodegradable wastes and residual inert matter generated by the compost facility.
MYSORE: After bagging the Icon City award for best solid waste management at the International Conference on Solid Waste Management (IconSWM) held in Kolkata recently, the Mysore City Corporation (MCC) is now gearing up to further improve its waste management practices.
The corporation, which has privatised solid waste management in 48 of the 65 wards, has proposed to establish sanitary landfills on a 35-acre plot at the Sewage Farm in J.P. Nagar here to dispose of non-biodegradable wastes and residual inert matter generated by the compost facility.
This long-pending project will be realised under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The decks have been cleared to set up the facility with the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, giving its nod for the project estimated to cost Rs. 16 crore.
The corporation has decided to set up the facility on build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis. The proposed facility has the capacity to dispose of waste for 17 years, sources in the MCC said.
However, following poor response to the tenders invited by it for executing the project, the corporation has now re-invited tenders to draw more bids. “The lone bidder last time had quoted a very high price. Therefore fresh bids have been invited,” the sources said.
But there are questions to be answered, such as how appropriate is it to establish landfills within the city limits? Are the provisions of the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Act, 2000 being followed?
The sources said, “Landfills are not harmful since only non-hazardous waste will be disposed. Moreover, all necessary safeguards such as chemical treatment to prevent foul smell will be taken.”
The Act stipulates that sanitary landfills should not be established within city or town limits. But the Sewage Farm where the landfills are proposed is within city limits. Biodegradable waste collected from the city is treated at a compost plant located at the Sewage Farm.
The project was first proposed in 2003, but was delayed owing to unavailability of land. Though land was identified for the project at Bettadabeedu on H.D. Kote Road, it was not considered following objections from the Forest Department since the location was close to forests.
The sources said that the corporation was under pressure from the KSPCB to establish sanitary landfills at the earliest since the daily generation of solid waste was rising at a high rate with the growth of the city. Barring the local bodies of Mysore, Bannur and Periyapatna, other local bodies in the district have started disposing of municipal waste according to the stipulations of Act by establishing sanitary landfills outside the city or town limits.
