ALAPPUZHA: The waste treatment plant of Alappuzha Municipality at Sarvodayapuram in Mararikkulam South grama panchayat is ready for commissioning by August.
With this, the longstanding demand of the people for a scientific garbage treatment centre here is being fulfilled.
The construction work of the plant has almost been completed and the municipality authorities have so far spent Rs 2.5 crore for it.
Alappuzha Municipal chairman P P Chitharanjan said that the plant’s trail run had already been started and the construction of drainage, road and electrical works of the plant would be completed in a month.
At present, the municipality can treat only biodegradable waste at the plant, which has a capacity of treating 100 tonne of waste daily.
The Centre has allotted Rs 4 crore for the second phase development work of the plant and utilising this fund, the municipality is planning to set up machines for treating plastic waste in the plant in future.
According to the chairman, the plant will have facilities to treat the waste from three grama panchayats adjacent to the municipality.
“We will collect a fixed fee from the grama panchayat authorities for waste treatment, he said. The plant is erected at the 14 acres of land owned by the municipality in Mararikkulam South grama panchayat.
The land was being used by the municipality as dumping yard.
In 2006, the municipality started the preliminary works of the plant.
However, the construction work of the plant got delayed for around two years due to the protest of the local people and some political parties.
As per the project fashioned by Andhra Pradesh Technologies Limited, the municipality’s consultant for the project, the total cost of the plant is Rs 3.71 crore.
The agency will run the plant for two years since its commissioning and later, the plant will be handed over to the municipality, said municipal secretary T Santhosh.