The Jawaharnagar SWM facility receives over 8,000 metric tonnes of solid waste per day
| Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G
The search by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) for alternative sites for establishment of decentralised solid waste management facilities has remained without much progress through the years. While protests against the Jawaharnagar dumping site are becoming shriller by the day, the Corporation is still in the process of identifying sites to divert part of the city’s waste.
The government is optimistic about a 125-acre site at Pyaranagar in Sangareddy district, but protests by the villagers are proving to be an obstacle. With the experience of Lagacherla, officials are cautious about taking any step forward towards it.
“All the processes have been completed for setting up the facility there. We have got permission from the Pollution Control Board, and the District Collector. The only issue that is stopping us is opposition from the people,” an official shared under the condition of anonymity.
The site is encircled on all sides by forest lands, with an approach road through forest. However, the local people are concerned about the garbage trucks passing through their villages, he said.
“The facility will be far more advanced in technology than the one at Jawaharnagar, and does not allow any stench to escape. No garbage will be dumped in the open,” he informed. It will be equipped with 48 mW waste-to-energy plant so that the combustible waste could be used on site.
The authorities identified three more sites for the SWM facilities, but have not been finalised. A 100-acre site at Lakdaram in Sangareddy district, and a 200-acre site in Malkaram village of Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district still are under consideration, while an 85-acre site at Dundigal which houses a 14.5 mW waste-to-energy plant has been rejected by the Telangana State Pollution Control Board as it is too close to the Outer Ring Road.
The Jawaharnagar SWM facility receives over 8,000 metric tonnes of solid waste per day, of which about 60-70% could be used as refuse-derived fuel to ignite the power plants. Jawaharnagar has a 24 mW plant and another with equal capacity is all ready for launch, the official said. However, the facility is unable to process the quantity due to which trash piles up inside, leading to unbearable stench and pollution. Added to the scourge is the legacy waste dump which continues to pollute the ground and surface water every time it rains.
Local people and environmentalists have been long demanding shifting of the SWM facility from there, due to which the government began to search for alternative sites.
Published – January 02, 2025 08:18 pm IST
