Team Herald

VASCO: The Mormugao Municipal Council has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS Pilani) for scientific disposal of wet waste generated in the municipal jurisdiction. The pilot project is expected to be ready and operational by December 31.

The MMC has agreed to provide the land space of 5,000 sq mts for the Waste to Energy demonstration project of BITS. The project focuses on anaerobic co-digestion of waste. Five tonnes of organic waste and one tonne of septic solids (approximately 10 septic tankers) per day would be taken into the project for disposal.

The council has provided for space on its own land at Headland Sada, and would also provide electricity and water and labourers for the project. BITS Pilani would install the biogas plant to treat five tonnes of organic waste and one ton of septic solids. The project has been sponsored by the Government of India under the Solid Waste Management Scheme.

The MMC would provide segregated wet waste to the project. The MMC presently produces at least 25 tonnes of waste which is collected in a segregated manner, but due to the absence of a proper disposal facility, it is dumped together. 

“Wet waste into compost will be converted once this facility is set up. This will reduce the load of MSW on the existing dumping site. We are also in the process of adding capacity to 10 metric tonnes per day by installing additional tanks based on the performance of the 5 tonnes plant,” Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes said.

Updating on the status of the existing MSW disposal facility of MMC, he said, “This Council is in the process of identifying more land for setting up scientific garbage treatment plant. The Comunidade of Sancoale has also come forward to give its land for one of these purposes. Our proposal for bio-remediation of existing dump of 80,000 cubic meter at Sada plant has been forwarded to DMA. Once all the above proposals are accepted, things will fall in place by end of 2019,” Fernandes said.

New Chairperson Kritesh Gaonkar has also assured to take up the garbage issue of Vasco on priority.