CHENNAI : Soon, both sides of the Pallavaram Periya Eri will glisten, with the Pallavaram Municipality commencing biomining of the old landfill on the southern side of the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam link road. This two-year project, funded primarily by the Central and State government, will cost `7.2 crores.
Officials from Zigma Global Environ, the company contracted by the municipality for biomining, have been surveying the landfill over the last week and are all set to begin the stabilisation to start the biomining operations. “Stabilization is five-fold process which involves removing flies, odour, moisture, pathogens and harmful gasses from the landfill before segregation of waste starts,” said Nagesh Prabhu, director of Zigma Global Environ.
The 1.18 lakh metric tonnes landfill in the Periya Eri contains waste which has accumulated over three decades and is known to regularly burst into flames.“It is essential the waste is stabilised before we begin operations,” said Prabhu, explaining that the five-fold process would be completed in three months’ time.
Once the stabilisation is complete, the waste will be segregated into combustibles (plastic waste) and non combustibles (soil, rocks and metal scraps) over 21 months on site.
“We are against shipping the unsegregated waste to another site as it will invariably result in pollution,” said Prabhu, explaining that only combustibles will be sent to cement factories in the State, where it will be converted and used as Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF).
“We will closely monitor the progress of biomining operations and ensure all norms and steps mentioned in the work order is followed,” said a senior official from the Pallavaram Municipality.The materialisation of this long-standing proposal to reclaim the Pallavaram Periya Eri and augment groundwater reserves in the nearby areas has been welcomed by local residents.“The smell and the mosquitos have been a big nuisance for us,” said V Srivatsan, a resident of Chrompet.