MBMC eyes Dutch help to power its waste project

BHAYANDAR: Struggling hard to find a permanent solution for scientific waste disposal, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) got the much-needed shot in the arm in the form of technical expertise from the Netherlands government towards working on modalities to generate sustainable electricity by processing garbage. As a part of their detailed study programme, a delegation of experts from the City of Amsterdam (Dutch Capital) visited the twin-city and checked ground realities, this apart from inspecting the waste management project in Uttan near Bhayandar and Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) in the Mira Road-Kashimira belt on Saturday. It should be noted that the Maharashtra government had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Amsterdam in December 2018 for generating energy from garbage in various cities across the state. The MBMC and its Vasai-Virar counterpart amongst other civic bodies have been selected as one of the cluster for the implementation of the unified waste-to-energy project for both the twin-cities. “We are fortunate to be selected as benefactors of the pilot project under the expertise of the country which has revolutionised the way of garbage disposal. The mechanism will not only mitigate the burden, but would open a window of opportunity to save money by tapping electricity,” said civic chief Balaji Khatgaokar. The MBMC is already saddled with a daunting task of disposing off around 500 metric tonnes garbage every day and projections for the years ahead are frightening.