Ghaziabad: Pipeline Road solid-waste processing site faces saturation

Civic officials on the other hand said that they are trying to get alternate site and also planning to get different sites for different corporation zones in future

Ghaziabad: A solid-waste processing site at Pipeline Road near Jagjiwanpur has almost reached its saturation for fresh solid waste dumping, with the stack nearing almost 30 metres (98 feet). The vendor, taking up the waste processing at the site, has now approached the Ghaziabad municipal-corporation and also sought fire-fighting measures to enable the site for use for next four months.

The previous waste-processing site at Morta, Ghaziabad, had about 96,000 metric tonnes of solid waste, and about 92,000 metric tonnes was remediated. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The previous waste-processing site at Morta, Ghaziabad, had about 96,000 metric tonnes of solid waste, and about 92,000 metric tonnes was remediated. The site was shut due to several issues and objections from locals in July last year and the corporation shifted processing activities to the new site at the Pipeline Road, officials aware of the development said.

The new site gets about 1,600-1,800 metric tonnes of daily solid waste, including about 150 metric tonnes from the colonies presently with the Ghaziabad development authority. And now this site also is facing resistance from locals who want the site be shifted and they also met district magistrate Indra Vikram Singh last week in this regard, they added.

After the developments, Geron Engineering, the waste processing vendor, sent a letter on August 28 to the corporation stating that the site has saturated and sharing that the waste storage is currently being done at a nearby roadside.

“As we have discussed several times … the only space available at the site is on the front side where access has to be provided by constructing the culvert on the Jal Nigam (water corporation) land above the water pipelines… we request you to kindly fast track the process so that culvert construction can be completed over next one month and we can use the front space for MSW (municipal solid waste) storage till any other site is made available by the municipal corporation,” the letter stated.

It further suggests that the site for fresh solid-waste cannot be used for more than 7-10 days, and to access the front portion of the site, a culvert is required for access to the site so that fresh waste can be handled for next four months till alternate land is made available.

When contacted, officials of Geron Engineering declined to comment over the issue.

Civic officials on the other hand said that they are trying to get alternate site and also planning to get different sites for different corporation zones in future.

“With this plan, we also intend that the agency which takes up waste-processing work should arrange for land as well. The proposed works for provision of culvert at the existing site (at the Pipeline Road) are likely to complete in a month. We are also trying different measures to get the work started at the proposed site at Galand in Hapur,” said Vikramaditya Malik, municipal commissioner.

The deliberations for a waste-to-energy plant at Galand are on for nearly six years.

According to officials, the plant at Galand will address and resolve the solid waste processing issues of the Ghaziabad municipal corporation, Hapur district and local bodies of Khoda, Loni and Dasna. It will have a capacity to process 2,300 metric tonnes of solid waste on a daily basis and generate about 40 megawatts of electricity.

However, any construction activity and even construction of boundary wall at the site face stiff resistance from locals.