It seems waste baling, the idea which was trending among officials until two weeks ago as an interim solution to the waste management crisis in the city, has also fallen flat. Though a political decision has not been taken, Suchitwa Mission is learned to be slow-pedalling on the idea since it has emerged highly impractical for the high price tag it comes with. The State Government, meanwhile, has zeroed in on a place for dumping the waste which could serve the purpose for at least the next two years.
The Suchitwa Mission had floated tenders in June calling for companies to handle waste baling until the Government arrives at a permanent solution. Only two companies responded when the deadline ended this July middle. According to sources, the technical bids of the two companies were not at all uniform for any sort of comparison.
Baling is a process where the waste is compressed and crushed, leaving it leachate-free, after which it is rolled into bundles and stored. While one company said the baled waste would be rolled into square bundles, the other company had quoted circular bundling. There was no clarity as to what will be done with the leachate. Moreover, the expense has been calculated at Rs 1,500 for one tonne of waste, which would take the total cost of the process to a whopping Rs 3 crore or above a month.
‘’Why should we spend so much to create bundles of a problem which does not get solved at the end of it? The problem remains, if only in bundles, and we spend so much. What if a rodent eats into the bundles or they get destroyed and spread in some way? The idea is impractical for the money involved,’’ said an official associated with the project.
However, Suchitwa Mission Executive Director George Chakkacherry, when contacted, said that the tenders have been processed and forwarded to the Government. ‘’We are waiting for a Government decision,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, Urban Affairs Minister Manjalamkuzhy Ali told City Express that the Government was not speeding up the baling process since the two bids lacked uniformity.
‘’We have found a place for dumping garbage where, we feel, there would be no problem for the next two years. By that time, we would arrive at a permanent solution. The place will not be disclosed now, we will reveal it after July 31,’’ the Minister said.
By the look of it, waste baling has been dropped for the better. But the fact that the Government is still resorting to temporary measures to solve the garbage issue is no good sign at all.