Makeover of Gorai dumpyard begins today
Suhit Kelkar
BMC plans to convert this ground—which has reached its saturation point—into a verdant landscape
On Monday, the dumping ground at Gorai will finally take its first step towards getting a complete makeover.The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has grand plans to convert this 19-hectare ground into a verdant landscape. And the first step—closing down the dumping ground—will be set in motion on Monday, according to BMC’s Chief Engineer (Solid Waste Management) R R Markandey.
Mumbai produces 8,000 tonnes of garbage daily, which is disposed of in dumping grounds at Gorai, Deonar and Mulund. As an alternative to the Gorai dumping ground, the BMC is developing a dumping ground at Kanjurmarg currently.
The city’s waste is being dumped at the Gorai ground since 1972, but it was declared highly toxic recently, due to the leachates (toxic fluid) emanating from the excessive garbage. While environmentalists have been demanding the closure of this saturated dumping ground for quite some time, Gorai residents have often complained about the foul smell and the threat of diseases.
On Monday, M/S United Phosphorus Ltd and Holland-based M/s Van der Wiel—consultants hired by the BMC—will begin the fifteen-month process of closing down the dumping ground. The consultants will first lay ‘an impermeable surface cover’ at the ground level. Then, they will have to install machinery to absorb and neutralise methane, a combustible gas emitted by piles of rotting garbage.
In the next step, the leachates—which would otherwise flow out to the sea—will have to be collected and treated before disposal. Finally, the closed dumping ground will be converted into a green landscape—resplendent with thickly wooded areas, flowering lawns and sprawling gardens.
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