BMC's plans afoot to address Mumbai's waste management needs

In a move aimed at easing the city's solid waste management (SWM) problems, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will reduce the burden on the Deonar dumping ground by 2000 metric tonnes per day. 

The civic body plans to compost 1,000 tonnes of garbage everyday at the Kanjurmarg landfill site, where 3,500 metric tonnes is already scientifically treated, using bio-reactor landfill technology. The SWM department of the BMC is planning to further enhance the capacity of the Kanjurmarg landfill site by seeking necessary approvals to utilise 52.5 hectares of CRZ-III land.

Waste segregation will be a major push in days to come as the city's 9000 metric tonnes of garbage per day will only increase in years to come. The civic administration has started working on different ways of processing the garbage at several levels. BMC has decided to take up new projects for scientific processing of municipal solid waste on a large scale. 
BMC also has plans to develop Waste to Energy (WTE) project of 3000 tonnes per day capacity at Deonar Dumping Ground. It is expected that construction of the plant will commence in 2017. This project will be the largest WTE project in India and one of the largest in the world.

Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta has consulted the officials from Solid Waste Management department and have allocated Rs. 369.36 crore to create various facilities for city’s waste management. To achieve these targets, a new department has been created under Chief Engineer (SWM - New Projects) to process tenders and execute the SWM project works. “Apart from scientific processing, wet and dry segregation, separate disposal of construction and debris waste will also be put in implementation. Composting and waste to energy projects at ward level is encouraged by the civic administration”, said a senior civic official.

BMC will have to come up with a practical solution soon to dispose of 9,000 metric tonnes of garbage generated daily in Mumbai. This is because the extended time limit set by the Bombay High Court (HC) to dump waste at the Mulund and Deonar dumping grounds will come to an end by June 2017. Though the civic administration has announced the plans for two new plots that the State Government has allotted - 52.10 hectare land at Karavale near Taloja and 32.77 hectare land at Mulund (E) near Airoli Bridge for scientific processing of waste generated in Mumbai, the civic body is facing stiff opposition from the villagers. However, BMC claims that the survey and the process of acquisition of both the lands is in progress. 

One of the plots is on the Mulund-Airoli road, and the salt commissioner has refused to hand it over to the BMC since the land is being used for a salt pan. The other plot is in Taloja, where locals have raised strong objection to a dumping ground being created in an already-polluted village. Mehta during his budget speech said that the tenders for appointment of Environment Consultant for obtaining Environment Clearance (EC), CRZ Clearance and other clearances for land at Mulund (East), near Airoli Bridge have been received. Tenders for development of C&D waste processing facility of 1000 tonnes per day capacity are invited.