After Gorai, Deonar dumping ground to go green…….Priyanka Sharma
Obnoxious smell, piles of filth and garbage from the dumping grounds might soon disappear. The grounds will be transformed into green lungs of the city.
After the successful closure of the Gorai dumping ground was recognised globally at UN Climate Change Conference, a similar project is set to be replicated at Deonar. Changing Lives Of Gorai – a two-minute documentary, screened at Cancum in Mexico, depicted how the scientific closure of the dumping ground paved way for plush green cover.
A similar eco-friendly improvement at Deonar is expected. Dumping of waste on the 65-hectare land will be stopped. The BMC is also contemplating the reorganising of the dumping ground by shifting the scattered waste to a defined footprint area.
The city generates 6,500 metric tonnes of garbage per day. Out of this nearly 4,500 metric tonnes is dumped daily at Deonar. As the dumping ground nears its closure the civic officials have been contemplating a green model to utilise the defunct area.
Of the 132 acre available, 65 acres will be shut. The plot will be levelled with construction and development debris. The area will be layered and fresh soil will be put to facilitate growth of shrubs and plants, said a senior civic official.
Moreover, the space will be used to generate thermal power. Over 60 landfills will be constructed to collect gas and generate 6MW of electricity. Meanwhile, the dumping ground at Mulund will also be improvised to generate 3MW of electricity.
The task will be completed by April 2012. After the scientific closure, two modules of aerobic compost will be constructed at Deonar. Around 2,000 metric tonnes of waste will be dumped here. At Mulund 500 metric tonnes of biodegradable waste from vegetable markets, restaurants and hotels will be treated, added the civic official.
BMC is expected to spend more than Rs230 crore in rectification and environment-friendly closure of the grounds at Deonar and Mulund. However, the profit margins of the project are likely to be around Rs94 crore.
The electricity produced will compensate with majority of the expenses. The closure of Gorai dumping ground has so far reaped Rs24.5 crore. Similar benefits are expected through the Deonar and Mulund grounds, the official said.