Corporation submits bio-mining plan, on course to reclaiming dump

Trichy’s long-standing dream of reclaiming the 47.5-acre waste dump yard at Ariyamangalam has got a step closer to reality with Trichy City Corporation (TCC) submitting a proposal to the high power committee for bio-mining under Smart City mission. It includes a detailed report prepared by the National Institute of Technology Trichy (NIT-T), which conducted a study on the waste dumped at the yard. As the administrative sanction for reclaiming the dump yard is likely to be obtained in a week, the study by NIT-T has revealed that the quantity of waste dumped in the yard has come down by 30% in past four years.

Trichy, renowned for maintaining the cleanest city tag, has become the cynosure of the Swachh Survekshan 2019 survey that was launched recently. In the star ratings for garbage free cities (from 1 star to 7 star excluding 6 star), Trichy Corporation has got 3 stars, which is one of the parameters to grade a city’s cleanliness. To become a 5-star city, which would be given by an agency entrusted by MoHUA after verifying 12 cleanliness components, a city must have reclaimed its dump yard. Trichy certified under 3-star category could fetch only 500 marks out of 1,000. If certified under 5-star category, the city could grab 800 marks. "To become a 5-star city, we should have commenced field works to reclaim the dump yard. Hence, we have already completed paper works to obtain the approval from the high-power committee for bio-mining based on a report from NIT-Trichy," a senior official with the civic body said.

As per the August 2018 report prepared by a faculty of civil engineering department of NIT-T, the quantity of waste in the dump yard is estimated at 7.70 lakh cubic metre. The quantity was 30% less than a previous study conducted by the civic body in 2014 that estimated it at 11 lakh cubic metre. Official sources attributed the dip in waste accumulation to the civic body’s decentralised waste management system and the recent fire accidents in the dump yard.

"Based on the recent study, a proposal for bio-mining in Ariyamangalam dump yard was mooted at an estimated cost of Rs 50 crore under the Smart City mission. The work would begin soon after getting the administrative and technical sanctions from the high-power committee," N Ravichandran, commissioner, Trichy Corporation said. Through bio-mining, non-biodegradable waste would be sent to factories to be used as fuel in furnace while biodegradable waste will be recycled.

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