Residents of Deonar, Mankhurd, Govandi and Chembur will soon be a relieved lot, as 45% of the dumping ground at Deonar will be scientifically closed down by the end of May. The entire project will be completed by December 2011.
Deonar dumping ground is one of the oldest and biggest dumping grounds in the city. It receives 5,500 metric tonne of refuse and 600 metric tonne of silt daily. Between March and June, the amount of silt goes up to 9,000 metric tonne because of drainage cleaning prior to the monsoon.
The total area of the dumping ground is about 13.2 lakh sq m. Of this, 6.5 lakh sq m is to be closed down scientifically by December. An area of 1.5 lakh sq m has already been cleared, while another 1.5 lakh sq m will be cleared before the rains. Also, 35 lakh cubic metre of garbage has been shifted out.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will pay tipping fee to a contractor to manage, maintain, process and dispose the waste. Tatva, the contractor, will set up efficient and effective processing facilities and land-fills for disposal. It will also develop an emergency landfill at its own cost at the dumping ground.
After the closure of the site, the company will also beautiful the area. The maintenance period is of 23 years. This includes groundwater monitoring, gas migration control, cap maintenance, monitoring perimeter security, etc. Additional facilities provided by Tatva for this project include a control room, auto garage, maintenance workshop, water lines, tube wells, spraying system, etc.
Meanwhile, residents of Kanjurmarg recently staged a rasta roko at the Eastern Express Highway to protest against the BMC’s decision to dump garbage at the Kanjur Marg dumping ground instead of the one at Deonar. They alleged that they are suffering from various problems like breathlessness.
