The Hindu         10.10.2014 

Two plants to be set up to produce biogas from waste

The Tuticorin Corporation will install two plants to
produce biogas from municipal waste, with assistance from Bhabha Atomic
Research Centre (BARC).

The City Health Officer, Pradeep V. Krishnakumar, told
The Hindu
on Thursday that two locations had been identified for the purpose and
the BARC would establish solid waste management plants in these places
as a permanent solution to the problem of municipal waste choking
drainage channels. The plants will be of one and two-tonne capacity
respectively. About 190 tonnes of municipal waste, constituting 55 per
cent biodegradable waste and 45 per cent non-degradable waste, would be
collected every day and fed into these plants to produce biogas, he
said.

In the absence of a solid waste management
system, drains get choked at several places in Tuticorin. The open drain
at Muniyasamypuram is a cause for concern. The stench emanating from it
is unbearable and residents call it a ‘visual blight.’

The drainage had become an excellent breeding ground for mosquitoes, said K. Ramasamy, a resident.

Stagnation
of sewage is a long-standing problem but no permanent solution is in
sight. Besides insanitation, the breeding of mosquitoes is a health
issue.

Sanitation workers on contract complained that
waste from cow sheds in and around Levenchipuram was being dumped into
the channel, causing it to choke. Dr. Krishnakumar pointed out that the
drain was cleared at regular intervals and notices had been served
thrice on persons for letting waste from cow sheds into it.