The proposed waste treatment projects for the city that were in limbo for the last few months are expected to receive a shot in the arm with Minister in charge of Mysuru district directing officials to come up with solutions to tide over the problems arising out of growing mounds of legacy waste.
The amount of waste generated in the city has far outstripped the capacity of the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) to treat garbage, leading to growing mountains of legacy waste piling up at the Waste Treatment Centre in J.P. Nagar here.
Against the 450 tonnes of waste generated in the city every day, barely 235 tonnes are treated at the compost plant at the waste management centre in J.P. Nagar and the seven zero waste management centres in different parts of the city.
The MCC, which had deliberated upon the issue several times in Council meetings and proposed a couple of projects, has not been able to implement the same due to lack of financial support.
Among them, Detailed Project Reports (DPR) have already been prepared and government approval taken for at least three projects. “But, lack of funds has prevented us from taking the projects forward,” said MCC’s Health Officer D.G. Nagaraju.
However, Mr. Somanna, after visiting the Waste Treatment Plant at J.P. Nagar on Saturday, assured that he would take up the matter with Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and secure the necessary financial support from the government for the projects. He has asked Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar and MCC Commissioner Gurudatta Hegde to hold meetings with public representatives and suggest the best possible solutions.
The three projects that are expected to come under focus include the remodelling of the existing compost plant at J.P. Nagar, a waste to energy project at Rayanakere, situated on the highway to H.D. Kote at a distance of about 5 km from the Ring Road, besides the waste to compost plant at Kesare.
Remodelling
The compost plant at J.P. Nagar, which is treating 200 tonnes of waste every day, is about 20 years old. “Old machinery is being used. We have to remodel the entire 200 tonne capacity unit. A DPR for ₹13 crore has been prepared,” said D. .G Nagaraju, the health officer of MCC.
The local body needs to fund at least 40% of the project, which means the MCC needs to set aside atleast ₹5 crore for this. The remaining financial support will have to come from the State government, besides the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat funding.
Waste to energy
The MCC has also proposed the a Waste to Energy plant at Rayanakere on the outskirts of Mysuru.
Though it was earlier proposed to have a 150 tonne waste to compost plant, the authorities had later come up with a 300 tonne capacity waste to energy project at a cost of ₹104 crore. The DPR has also been prepared for the project, which is expected to be implemented under a Private Public Partnership (PPP) model, Dr. Nagaraju said.
Kesare plant
The MCC has already obtained an approval from the government for a waste to energy plant of 200 tonnes capacity at Kesare on the outskirts of the city. A DPR for ₹20 crore has already been prepared, he added.
It remains to be seen if the projects lying in limbo owing to shortage of funds will be revived and implemented with financial assistance from the government. For increasing its waste treatment capacity is crucial for Mysuru to retain is high spot in the ‘Clean City’ ranking.
