MA&UD Principal Secretary inspects Jawaharnagar dumping yard

Hyderabad: Principal Secretary Municipal Administration and Urban Development Arvind Kumar today visited the dumping yard at Jawaharnagar and took stock of the measures initiated by the concessionaire to control the smell nuisance around the vicinity.

Arvind Kumar said that while there is a reduction of odour due to the regular capping works, the piling up of the garbage and the delay in its processing is causing more concern. He asked them to firm up a date for the commissioning of the waste to energy plant. He directed the concessionaires to cover the live garbage with tarpaulin sheets at least till the end of the rainy season to bring down the stench immediately. He advised them to build up vertical walls and roof on top where live garbage is kept. He asked the GHMC commissioner to look into the slaughterhouse issue at Chengicherla. He also asked the officials to Identify alternate sites for processing and disposal as the Jawaharnagar dumping yard is the single processing and disposal facility for the entire city.

The concessionaires Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited explained about the conditions leading to increased odour incidence through a powerpoint presentation. They said that an unexpected heavy rainfall, low-level temperature, the relatively higher elevation of the dump yard, non-segregated waste with high water content, higher volumes of waste receipts, including slaughterhouse waste are some of the reasons for the increased odour. The measures being taken up to address this issue include short term, medium-term and long term measures. In the short term, aggressive spraying of masking agents and soil cover over partially filled landfill cells are being taken up. Medium-term measures include expediting waste to energy plants, construction of sheds for composting areas and enhanced odour monitoring protocol. The long term measures include developing alternate processing and disposal sites in other locations.

The meeting was attended by GHMC commissioner Lokesh Kumar, Ramky group chairman Ayodhyarami Reddy, Managing Director and CEO Gautam Reddy, EPTRI Director-General Kalyan Chakravarthi and other senior officials.