Kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is taking all possible measures to clear the landfill site at Dhapa completely by the next two years.
The Solid Waste Management (SWM) department of KMC has already taken steps for treatment of waste by preparing organic fertiliser and at the same time processing and biomining of wastes dumped at the landfill site.
"We have also laid emphasis on developing infrastructure for processing waste, right at the generation site. We have already installed some machines in this regard and will soon have four more machines installed. We have already appealed to associations of a number of highrises in the city so that they take measures to process biodegradable waste right at the site," said Debabrata Majumder, Member Mayor in Council (SWM). A housing at Mukundapur on EM Bypass has already started such processing.
It may be mentioned that 4,400 metric tonnes of solid waste is generated daily in the KMC jurisdictional area.
A company near the Dhapa landfill site is converting 500 metric tonnes of waste daily to organic fertiliser and is expanding its capacity further so that it can process 1,000 metric tonnes daily.
"The KMC is also processing and biomining 300 MT waste daily at Dhapa and in the next few months will be able to biomine another 600 MT of accumulated waste. The organic waste will be composted and can then be used as a soil conditioner for agricultural activities, and the inorganic material found in the waste such as plastics, rubber, cloth, leather, wood and glass items will be used by the cement industry," a senior official of SWM department said.
According to sources in the Solid Waste Management department of KMC, two heaps of garbage looking similar to hills had come up at Dhapa. One spans over an area of 12 acres while the other is 60 acres.
The 12-acre portion has already been sealed and has been turned into a green site with the dumping of waste being stopped completely. But the one spanning 60 acres with huge quantities of waste piling is a major challenge for the KMC.
Dhapa comes under the Ramsar site and the National Green Tribunal has directed the state government to take steps to make Dhapa garbage free.