KOCHI: Kochi corporation’s move to invite expression of interest from private firms to process food waste (organic waste) has raised eyebrows as the city already has a compressed biogas plant (CBG) at Brahmapuram, set up by BPCL under their corporate social responsibility (CSR) scheme. While the corporation maintains that the existing plant is insufficient to handle the city’s waste, the opposition has alleged that the proposal could lead to corruption.
Inaugurated on February 27 this year, the Brahmapuram biogas plant has a capacity of 150 tonnes. Set up on 10.5 acres, the plant is designed to produce 5.6 tonnes of CBG and 28 tonnes of organic manure daily, once it attains the maximum capacity. Currently, though, the average processing at the plant is 50 tonnes, with the corporation having to dump the remaining waste.
Sources with the CBG plant noted that the plant would attain its full capacity within the next two months. It is learnt the quantity of waste being processed there could be increased only gradually as overfeeding would kill the bacteria. If anything, the drawbacks in waste segregation is hindering the project.
As per the agreement between BPCL and corporation, source-segregated waste should be brought to the plant for processing. When metallic substances or materials like coconut shells and plastic items get mixed with the segregated organic waste, the machine breaks down, affecting the whole process.
So far, around 1,000 trucks of waste has been processed at the Brahmapuram CBG plant and the daily processing reached 90 tonnes recently.
“When there is already a CBG plant in the city, what is the need of entrusting waste processing to a private firm? We are sceptical of the project and should be studied in depth before moving ahead,” said V A Sreejith, the leader of opposition in the council. Meanwhile, Mayor Minimol V K said the average waste generation in the city on a daily basis is 250 tonnes.
“Even if BPCL’s CBG plant reaches its full capacity, we have to find a solution for the remaining waste. That is when we thought of inviting private firms and the project will be taken ahead only after proper evaluation,” Minimol said.
Though there were initial challenges at the CBG plant, things were being sorted out, the mayor said.
“Efforts will be taken to ensure the segregated waste is free of metallic or plastic substances,” she said.
Dismissing opposition’s allegations, the mayor said everything was being done to make Kochi a better place to live in.
“We want the CBG plant to process as much waste as it can. At the same time, having another plant to process food waste will be beneficial for the city,” she added.
