HYDERABAD: Processing and scientific disposal of around 8,000 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) have become a challenging task for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) due to insufficient availability of dumpyards in the city.
There is only one dumpyard - at Jawaharnagar. It has reached its saturation point and the GHMC is in the process of establishing three more for which sites have been identified.
After Delhi, Hyderabad is the second-highest generator of MSW among all major Indian cities. Its per capita waste generation is about 0.5–1 kilograms per day and this has increased significantly over the past few years. Delhi generates around 11,000 tonnes of MSW per day, while Hyderabad accounts for 8,000 tonnes per day.
Greater Mumbai generates 6,000–6,500 tonnes followed by Bengaluru (5,800–6,000 tonnes), Chennai (5,000–5,500 tonnes), Kolkata (4,500–5,000 tonnes), Ahmedabad (4,500 tonnes) and Indore (1,100–1,200 tonnes).
The upcoming state-of-the-art MSW processing facility at Pyaranagar in Gummadidala mandal of Sangareddy district is facing resistance from some political parties, creating impediments to the GHMC’s efforts to reduce the burden on Jawaharnagar.
The civic body wants to dispose of 25 percent of MSW, i.e., 2,000 tonnes per day, at the Pyaranagar facility for which it has started ground work after obtaining necessary permissions from various government departments. The facility will be operated in bunkers to reduce atmospheric pollution.
New dumpyards have become indispensable in view of increasing garbage in the city for the past few years. Year-wise garbage generation per day is as follows (in tonnes): 2018–19 (5,300), 2019–20 (5,800), 2020–21 (5,700), 2021–22 (6,300), 2022–23 (7,000), 2023–24 (7,500) and 2024–25 (8,000).
About 60–70 percent of the 8,000 tonnes of MSW generated in Greater Hyderabad is used for generating electricity at the city’s lone dumpyard at Jawaharnagar. It has a 24 MW power plant and another of the same capacity is also ready. However, the facility is unable to process the entire quantity due to which trash piles up inside, leading to unbearable stench and pollution.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, during a review meeting last year, had asked the officials to set up four new dumpyards away from residential areas on four sides of Hyderabad. He suggested that the officials establish garbage recycling plants to generate 15 MW of power in coordination with TGSPDCL.
3 dumpyards proposed for MSW disposal
To provide some relief for the residents of Jawaharnagar from air and water pollution, the GHMC has identified three sites for MSW disposal.
Apart from Pyaranagar, the civic body has proposed two barren sites at Lakdaram in Medak (100 acres) and at Choutuppal of Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district (200 acres) where the MSW will be recycled and waste-to-energy plants will be set up.
Official sources told TNIE that the Pyaranagar facility is completely different from the one at Jawharnagar. The Jawaharnagar site suffers from the problems associated with legacy waste accumulated over about 12 years in 200 acres of land before the present facility was established in February 2012, they said, adding that due to this, the surrounding area is exposed to a persistent stench.
In contrast, the upcoming Pyaranagar facility is going to be a greenfield project equipped with comprehensive odour control system and mechanism to treat daily waste in enclosed sheds. It will be a completely closed-circuit model equipped with an advanced dry anaerobic digestion model biomethanation plant for biogas production from organic waste and a Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) processing unit to produce 15 MW of electricity, marking a major milestone in sustainable waste management and energy production.
The dumpyard is surrounded by forest land, with an approach road laid by GHMC. The civic body has obtained permission from the Telangana Pollution Control Board and the district collector for the facility, the officials said.
Only closed-container vehicles will transport the waste to the upcoming facility effectively preventing any spillage of the garbage in the transit. The project, which will process 2,000 tonnes of waste per day, is expected to serve as a model for sustainable waste management and renewable energy production.
The Air Force Academy, Dundigal, has raised objections to the proposed dumpyard at Pyaranagar, citing safety concerns for aircraft and human life. Shubham Mishra, Wing Commander and Airspace Safety and Inspection Officer, has written a letter to District Collector Valluru Kranthi. “GHMC is creating a dumpyard near Nallavally–Pyaranagar village in Gummadidala mandal.
This dumpyard falls within the local flying area of this training establishment. Garbage dumped in open areas attracts various types of birds, posing a direct threat to aircraft and human life. It is requested to shift the dumpyard out of the local flying area and address this matter urgently,” said Mishra in the letter.
