Thane: Barave is KDMC's new dump yard

Bombay HC’s stay against new construction clearances pushes civic body to rework its waste management plan

While the rest of the city groans under the weight of its growing waste management problem, the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) is all set to roll out Plan B.

Fresh start: The 2.23-hectare plot of land in Barave which the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation plans to use as its new dumping ground. Pic/Satej Shinde

The civic body has zeroed in on a 2.23-hectare plot of land in Barave to be used as a dumping ground, and plans to set up 13 biogas plants in Kalyan and Dombivli to generate power from waste. On Thursday, it opened tenders for the contract to lift garbage and dump it at Barave, which it plans to make operational from April.

The development is significant since the Bombay High Court had stayed new construction under KDMC’s jurisdiction last April, till it found a new dumping ground. The court had passed a similar judgment for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) last month.

A growing problem
KDMC generates 550 tonnes of garbage every day, and all this finds its way to the Adharawadi dumping ground. Bursting at the seams, the Adharawadi plot has served as a dumpyard for around 45 years and reached its saturation — of about 15 lakh cubic metres — a few years ago. Such unplanned waste management had forced the HC to hit the civic body where it hurt — snip its revenue generation through building clearances till it got its act together. The ruse worked. The stay hit KDMC hard — it suffered a loss of nearly Rs 70 crore from pending construction clearance. KDMC scouted for close to a year to find an apt location for a dumping ground.

A senior official from the town planning department of the civic body says over 200 building proposals are usually cleared in a year, but last year was a lean period due to the stay order. “We expect a revenue of R100 crore from new construction clearances, but managed to make only Rs 32 crore.”

The new dumping ground can take in 155-200 tonnes of waste every day. KDMC plans to get citizens to chip in and segregate waste at their end to reduce the burden on the dumping ground. The segregated wet waste will be used to generate biogas and power streetlights. G Nawangule, executive engineer of the solid waste management department, KDMC, says NGOs are being roped in to educate people about the need to segregate.

KDMC officials say 13 biogas plants will be spread across Kalyan and Dombivli in such a way as to ensure that the power generated goes straight to streetlights or is diverted to its offices.

Civic officials are now hopeful of the court lifting its stay order. “With the dumping ground set to open in April, we expect the HC to be lenient with us as we have a new solid waste management plan in place,” says the town planning department official. Deputy municipal commissioner Suresh Pawar, too, says KDMC is taking all measures to tide over its garbage management crisis.

Rs 70crore
The losses that KDMC suffered from pending construction clearance

155-200 tonne
The amount of waste the new dumping ground can accomodate every day

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