Patiala’s 55-year-old trash mountain to be flattened

PATIALA: The city’s 55-year-old garbage dumping ground, where a litter mountain had formed over the years, is finally set to go with the municipal corporation roping in a Karnalbased company to carry out scientific segregation of waste at the site.

In the absence of a solid waste management plant, the city’s garbage was being dumped at this site on Sanaur road for the last 50 years, turning the lives of nearby residents into a nightmare. Many have been complaining of foul smell and health issues due to the dump.

Patiala mayor Sanjeev Sharma Bittu said the Karnalbased firm will segregate and manage 175 lakh metric tonne of waste spread over eight acres. “The company would use conveyer belts to segregate and filter plastics and dry waste. While the plastic waste will be sold to companies for recycling or fuel purposes, the dry waste would be turned into organic compost which will be provided to farmers. The leftover garbage will be used for landfill,” the mayor said.

The project is set to start after the culmination of monsoon and the firm has been given 16 months to complete it.

It is set to cost the civic body Rs 6.8 crore, of which Rs 3.3 crore will be used to purchase machinery for the project while the remaining will be used on execution.

The city generates 120 tonne of waste, including 50% wet waste, 30% recyclable, 15% nonrecyclable and 5% domestic hazardous waste, on a daily basis.

MC commissioner Poonamdeep Kaur said the project envisages to completely clear the dumping ground. She added that the daily garbage of 120 tonne of garbage will be managed at material recovery facility (MRF) centres in Patiala.

“The corporation has already set up seven MRF centres in Patiala to manage waste generated in the city. These centres will treat recyclable and non-recyclable waste and the treated bulk will be sold to industrial units,” she said.

NEW PROPOSAL FOR SOLID WASTE MGMT

After the Punjab local bodies department scrapped the solid waste management project (SWMP) in 2017, the state has mooted the project with the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA)-Patiala cluster.

The project cost is pegged at ₹305 crore.