The Hindu 16.12.2010
SWM facility work may start next month
Aloysius Xavier Lopez
—
A view of the Kodungaiyur dumpyard.
CHENNAI: The work on integrated solid waste management facility in Kodungaiyur is likely to start next month.
Chennai Corporation officials said that the project was in the final stages of clearance.
A team of scientists from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
visited the site for the integrated solid waste management facility in
Kodungaiyur on Wednesday. The team collected samples of groundwater.
Studies on ambient air quality were also done. The team, which was on a
visit pertaining to another report on the dumpyard, held discussions
with the civic authorities later. The team would submit the report to
the CPCB in Delhi, said officials of the civic body.
This would throw new light on the situation of the dumpyard’s
pollution, said officials. The team is likely to have collected inputs
on concentration of pollutants and basic meteorological data. The water
quality study is likely to be done pertaining to dissolved oxygen,
concentration of pathogenic bacteria and behaviour of trace metals.
The integrated waste management project if cleared would involve
processing of solid waste through rapid biomethanation, accelerated
aerobic composting, vermicomposting, reuse of refuse-derived fuel,
manufacturing brick out of debris, sanitary landfill of non-degradable
waste and recycling of plastic. The project would process 1,800 metric
tonnes of unsegregated solid waste that is dumped at Kodungaiyur per
day.
The facility would also help in pre-sorting waste into compostable,
recyclable and currently unusable categories. It would be sanitised with
herbal extracts and biostabilised with enzymes. The project will help
control odour, pathogens, flies and rodents and mainly get rid of
polluted air in the area.
Forty acres of land will be allotted for the facility. The project is
likely to help increase the life of the dump yard six-fold and improve
the working conditions for the workers.
The project will be on a design, build, operate, maintain and
transfer basis. The facility would be handed over to the civic body
after 20 years.
