The problem of dry waste disposal in the
industrial city of Pimpri Chinchwad is set to be resolved after Prime Minister
Narendra Modi commissioned the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC)
waste treatment plant on Aug. 1. City officials said that the plant, which can
convert 700 tons of dry waste into electricity a day, will be the first of its
kind in Maharashtra.
PCMC Commissioner Shekhar Singh said on
Saturday: "The plant will process 700 tonnes of dry waste daily. This will
help solve the problem of daily waste disposal... Dry waste will be converted
into electricity and sent to two of our projects. The plant will help us save USD
2.43 million annually.” Pimpri Chinchwad generates 1,150 tons of waste daily,
of which 700 tons is dry waste. "The remaining 450 tonnes are wet waste
and will be composted," said city co-engineer Sanjay Kulkarni.
Waste Incinerator was built at his
PCMC's waste dump in Moshi along the Pune Nashik Highway. The city plans to set
up another depot in Phunawale, but it has faced opposition from local
residents. Singh said the incinerator would solve the problem of dry waste
disposal. It then focuses on flattening the landfill piles through
biodegradation processes…the piles of rubbish go away because the rubbish that
is generated is converted into fuel every day. "
Moshi residents complain about pollution
from the PCMC landfill. “Once the recycling plant is up and running, we are
confident that local residents will have no reason to complain. This is an
eco-friendly project. The project follows the “reduce, reuse and recycle”
principle, making it a sustainable and efficient waste management solution,”
said Singh.
PCMC said the waste-to-energy project,
capable of generating 14MW of electricity, will be the first of its kind in
Maharashtra. "As far as we know, there are three or four such facilities
outside of Maharashtra, but none in our state," said the chief executive.
When asked about the incinerator built
by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Singh said, “This is a small project,
about five tons, based on biogas. Your project uses wet waste. They are
operated with biogas, from which electricity is generated. Our project will
have the capacity to process 700 tons of dry waste. We have a 500-ton facility
in Moshi that composts wet waste.”
The Municipality Commissioner stated
that the project is based on a “design, build, operate and transmit” model
based on a public-private partnership based. “Antony Lara Renewable Energy
Private Ltd built the plant. We will buy electricity from them at USD 0.06 per
unit. "We signed an agreement that our tariff will remain unchanged for 21
years..." Singh said.
José Jacob, Chairman and Managing
Director of Antony Waste said, "The integrated project represents the
first of its kind in Maharashtra to convert waste into energy and represents an
important milestone in the sustainable development of the region."
represents an important step towards circularity in waste management. By
converting non-recyclable waste into clean and renewable energy, the project
will significantly reduce the burden on landfills...” Jacob said that once the
facility is up and running, it will recycle dry waste produced by the city,
eliminating the need for disposal. “The project is compliant with the 2016
municipal waste ordinances while also monitoring emissions through a continuous
emissions monitoring system,” said Jacob.
Singh explained that the project will
help save billions of rupees in energy consumption: "We have received the
most security clearances from MSEDCL for the project." The electricity
generated by the project will be used in the PCMC treatment plant and the water
pumping plant, which will help us is going to save 35-40 percent on our
electricity bills... We will save at least USD 2.43 million every year.”