THANJAVUR: The Thanjavur city corporation is planning to convert its garbage dump in the Chekkadi area into an eco-park after bio-capping the accumulated solid waste. The project will be implemented under the City Investments to Innovate, Integrate, and Sustain (CITIIS 2.0) programme of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. A key component of the plan is bio-capping the legacy waste at the 28-acre Chekkadi compost yard, where an estimated 2 lakh cubic metres of waste has accumulated.
"We plan to level the mounds and cap them with layers of soil and waste," an official from a consulting firm engaged by the corporation told TNIE. The site will also feature a leachate collection system and methane gas vents to prevent groundwater contamination. The bio-capping process is expected to cost Rs 30 crore, official sources said.
The project also includes setting up a Waste Processing Facility (WPF) at a cost of Rs 20-Rs 30 crore within the same premises. This unit will process non-biodegradable waste collected across the city, while 12 existing and six proposed micro-composting centres (MCCs) will handle wet waste, converting it into manure. Additionally, a Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) unit will convert combustible waste into fuel, sources added.
The initiative is part of a broader Rs 135-crore grant sanctioned for Thanjavur under the CITIIS 2.0, a sub-component of the Union government's Smart Cities Mission, for waste management and climate action. Thanjavur is among 18 cities nationwide and one of the two selected from Tamil Nadu, alongside Madurai.
A quadrilateral agreement formalising the funding was signed during the 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific, which concluded on March 5. The agreement was signed by representatives of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Municipal Administration and Water Supply department of the state government, CEO of the Thanjavur smart city scheme and commissioner of the Thanjavur corporation.
Besides, 200 battery-operated vehicles will be introduced for door-to-door waste collection, replacing the existing pushcarts, under the CITIIS 2.0 scheme. "Additional funding of Rs 30 crore from other sources, including the state government, is expected to support the solid waste management initiative," an official told TNIE. Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for these initiatives are being prepared and the projects is expected to be completed within two years, officials stated.