GUNTUR: In a relief to the residents of Sattenapalli, civic body officials have started shifting garbage that has been piling up in the city’s two dumping yards at Narasaraopet Road and Macherla Road for the past 35 years. The legacy waste will further be processed through bio-mining.
Over 25 metric tonnes of garbage have been piling up on over four acres for over three decades causing severe problems for the residents. The initiative has been taken up as part of ‘Lakshya Zero Dumpsite’ to make Indian cities garbage-free under the Swachh Bharat Mission -Urban 2.0. One of its major objectives is to remediate 16 crore tonnes of legacy waste dumpsites, occupying nearly 15,000 acres of city land parcels in the country.
Legacy dumpsites pose major threats to the environment and contribute to air and water pollution. Clearing these mountains of garbage is not just critical for transforming the urban landscape of the country, but also for addressing the issues pertaining to public health and the environment. Following the instructions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the State government under Swatchh Andhra Corporation decided to clear 118 lakh tonnes of unremediated legacy waste from 463 acres after conducting a survey.
The State government had submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for remediating over 42 lakh tonnes of garbage in 28 urban local bodies. The Union Ministry will provide assistance of Rs 77.7 crore. As part of the process, the Central government will provide 50% of the total cost of the project, while the State government will contribute 33% and 17% will be allocated from the 15th Financial Commission funds.
A sum of Rs 2.75 crore has been allotted for clearing the two dump yards in Sattenapalli. Of the total, the Centre’s share is Rs 1.37 crore, the State government will contribute Rs 90.75 crore and Rs 47 crore will be taken from the 15th Financial Commission Funds. Explaining the process, civic body officials said the garbage will be shifted to solid waste management plants, where it will be processed and converted into useful compost through bio-mining. The dump yards will later be converted into parks, they added.
Mounting garbage, a threat to public health and environment
Legacy dumpsites pose major threats to the environment and contribute to air and water pollution. Clearing these mountains of garbage is not just critical for transforming the urban landscape of the country, but also for addressing the issues pertaining to public health and the environment. The government under Swatchh Andhra Corporation decided to clear 118 lakh tonnes of legacy waste from 463 acres
after conducting a survey