CHENNAI: Residents in Sathangadu can heave a huge sigh of relief as steps are being taken to clear the massive dump yard in the area. Biomining of the 50-year-old landfill in Sathangadu near Tiruvottriyur in North Chennai would be wrapped up by early 2022, said Corporation officials. “Though the tender period of the project, taken up at a cost of `9 crore, is three years, we have requested the contractors to wrap it up by March 2022,’’ said a Corporation official with the Solid Waste Management Department.
The dumpyard, alongside the Buckingham Canal Road, has waste upto 1.25 lakh cubic metres. “For decades, Tiruvottiyur Municipality used to dump waste there and then a few years ago, Tiruvottriyur came under the Corporation limits. The dumpyard was then closed and waste is now sent to Kodungaiyur directly,’’ the official said.
The civic body with the help of Anna University conducted an assessment study on the dumpyard last year. According to the study, the legacy waste is over 10-foot deep and spread across 17.39 acres. “Waste is segregated as per its density. 25 mm waste is shredded and sent to cement factories while it can also be used as mixing agents for laying roads,’’ the official added.
Private contracting firm Srinivasa Waste Management Services has already stacked up four to five piles of hazardous waste. A company representative said that hazardous elements like methane are present inside the waste piles and once each batch of waste dries up, it is segregated and biomined. When Express visited the landfill, wood, rubber, plastic bags, and cloth wastes were found deeply tucked in to the sand. “We will chart out a detailed proposal once the biomining is done,’’ added the official.