SC directs HC to look at Kanjurmarg ground, where will BMC dump waste?

Kanjurmarg dumping ground gets 6,000 tonnes of garbage every day. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

After many years, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has managed to close Mulund's dumping ground and appoint a contractor for a procedure on waste at the Deonar dumping ground. It would seem that now that the BMC is again in a fix, as the Supreme Court has directed the High Court to look into the Kanjurmarg ground, where BMC dumps more than 70 per cent of city's garbage daily.

In the last decade, the problem of waste management has escalated and given rise to environmental challenges. While the BMC managed to cut down the daily garbage by 10 per cent in the last three years, the closure and scientific procedure on waste still poses a challenge. Last year, the civic body appointed a contractor for a scientific closure at Mulund, one of the three dumping grounds in the city. After the closure of Mulund, Kanjurmarg has become the main dump yard for the city. The yard gets 6,000 tonnes of garbage daily, which is more than 70 per cent of the city's total waste. While the BMC is already facing multiple hurdles to start a waste-to-energy plant at Deonar, the current decision from the Supreme Court will add to its woes. The court was hearing an appeal by the NGO Vanashakti against an interim order of the High Court, lifting the stay on enforcement of environmental clearance for expansion of the Kanjurmarg landfill. The HC lifted the stay in December 2019 to allow the use of an additional 52 hectare plot for scientific processing on solid waste.

The Supreme Court has directed the HC to conduct the final hearing on the Kanjurmarg dumping ground case in three months. The order states: "We also consider it appropriate if the High Court obtain the report of an expert body like Bombay Natural History Society and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute before taking a final decision."

"Kanjur dumping yard is around 141 hectares, out of which 23 hectares including the mangrove area, was retained by the state government," said an officer from Solid Waste Management department. He added that the BMC is taking precaution so that the natural environment does not get affected. There is also work going on for a new dumping ground, so that part of the daily garbage can go there.

6k
tonnes of garbage recieved by the dumping ground in Kanjurmarg, which is more than 70 per cent of the city's total waste

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