Visakhapatnam: Garbage dump shines

Visakhapatnam: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is preparing to reclaim nearly 100 acres of land at the Kapuluppada dumping yard, through a bio-mining process.  The dumping yard is located about 30 km  from the city and has received waste since 2001. Over half of the yard is already full; and if dumping continues at the current rate, the entire yard will be full within a few years. The garbage, both bio-degradable and non-bio-degradable, that has accumulated over the years, without segregation, poses a huge challenge to the GVMC.

GVMC Commissioner M. Hari Narayanan said that they would undertake remediation of a 20-acre patch of the dumpsite at Kapuluppada. “Three firms have shown interest in taking up the project, and the proposals are currently being evaluated by a technical committee of the GVMC,” he said. Bio-mining is a process where waste that has been previously dumped is loosened by harrowing, dug up, and then processed in a bid to recover valuable, recyclable scrap, while also recovering landfill space. The waste is classified into various categories and segments.

After removal of bulky, non-degradable items from the landfill, the remaining waste is turned into compost through bio-stabilisation. Bio-mining eliminates leachates and landfill gases by performing bioreactor activities above-ground, in the form of bio-treated aerobic windrows, for near-complete recovery of the waste. GVMC Chief Medical Officer Dr A. Hemanth explained that remediation of the dumpsite would have many benefits.

“First of all, the remediation process will free up space at the dumping yard. It will reduce the infiltration of precipitation into the landfill, control leachate generation, and minimise emissions. There will be many environmental benefits,” he said. The Solid Waste Management Rules of 2016 also mandate that local bodies allow only non-usable, non-recyclable, and non-reactive inert waste to be dumped into a sanitary landfill. Local bodies are supposed to investigate and analyse all old open and operational dumpsites, and evaluate the potential for bio-mining and bioremediation.