NITI Aayog officials on Saturday visited the Kollam Corporation’s biomining project at Kureepuzha as part of a study to evaluate waste disposal models implemented at various locations with the help of the latest technology.
The functioning of the biomining plant near the Ashtamudi Ramsar site will be assessed and a detailed report will be submitted to the NITI Aayog, said research officer K. Arun Lal after interacting with Mayor Prasanna Ernest and councillors to find out more about the project. The Corporation is clearing five-and-a-half acres of junkyard at the Kureepuzha garbage treatment plant through the project, a long-standing demand of the residents. Around 1.88 lakh cubic metres of legacy waste that had been lying dormant for several years will be disposed as part of the project.
Treated separately
The first complete biomining project in Kerala, the waste dumped at the site will be segregated into separate components and treated separately in an environment-friendly manner. The RDF (refuse-derived fuel) generated will be sent to cement companies in Tamil Nadu to be used in furnaces. The RDF, which contains combustible components, will be converted into fuel that can be used instead of coal and firewood.
At present the segregation process of soil, stone, metal, glass, rubber and wood is progressing and in the first phase nearly 3,000 tonnes of waste will be segregated. The Mayor has instructed the officials to complete the mining procedures before monsoon as the Corporation is planning to clear the landfill within a year.
From Feb. 2021
At the Kureepuzha plant, waste will be segregated into various components and treated under the direct supervision of the Local Self-Government department and Kollam Corporation with the permission of the State Pollution Control Board as per the Central norms for solid waste management. The Kollam Corporation had initiated steps for the removal of legacy waste in February 2021 and the biomining at the site will be carried out as per the instructions of National Green Tribunal.
