THANJAVUR: Residents living around the Thanjavur city corporation’s garbage dump yard demanded shifting the compost centre, flagging health risks and fire hazards as the civic body continues to remain uncertain on ways to dispose more than two lakh cubic metres of legacy waste that have accumulated
The major parts of the compost yard (garbage dump), which spans around 28 acre, is now filled with waste generated in the 51 wards of the city. Though a portion of the legacy waste has been bio-mined, a process which started in these facilities in 2019, latest estimates by the corporation point to more than 2 lakh cubic metre of solid waste, which remains unprocessed.
Meanwhile, even as there are 12 micro compost centres functioning in the city, they could not handle the total quantity of around 115 tonnes of waste generated in the city on daily basis. “Around 40 tonnes of solid waste are being dumped daily in the compost yard,” a staff at the city corporation told TNIE. This waste occupies the space made available of bio-mining.
As various initiatives including bio-methanation and land filling have failed to take off, the disposal of legacy waste at the dump continues to be a challenge. Under the CITIIS 2.0 (City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain 2.0) initiative of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), the corporation has sent a proposal for bio-capping the legacy solid waste as one of the components. Mayor S Ramanathan told TNIE that “the nod for various components under CITIIS is expected very soon”.
However, sources told TNIE the possibility of the bio-capping component getting approval is very less. M Tamilvanan, 19th ward councilor, raised a complaint during the last corporation council meeting about methane and other gases produced in the compost yard situated in his ward which has been creating health problems to those living around it. He demanded the dumpsite be relocated.
Echoing similar concerns, T Chandran of Jabamalaipuram located near the dump said due to the smoke from the yard many people in the area are facing breathing problems including wheezing. “The stench emanating from the dump, particularly during summer and monsoon has been unbearable,” he added.
D Mathivanan, leader of the TNSTC workers union, said there is a risk of a fire in the dump spreading to the nearby TNSTC depot during summer, which houses 100 buses and a diesel bunk. He recalled an ex-Serviceman dying in a fire in 2022 which had spread from the dump.
“As more than 10,000 people reside around the garbage dump who suffer from breathing problems, the dump needs to be relocated,” he added. When contacted, a corporation official told TNIE that they are scouting for land outside the city for a new garbage dump.