Ghaziabad plans to clear 287,000 tonnes of waste this year

The bioremediation strategy, according to officials, will also improve the city’s chances in the upcoming Swachh Survekshan 2023 survey

The Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation has invited tenders for the bioremediation of 287,000 metric tonnes of waste at several dump sites in the city, officials said on Monday. A major portion of this waste is at Bhikhanpur near the Delhi-Meerut Road.

The dump yard in Pratap Vihar has now been developed as a park. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

“It will take several months to remove 287,000 metric tonnes of waste. It will be subjected to bioremediation while the refuse-derived fuel (RDF) that results from the process will also be disposed of safely,” said municipal commissioner Nitin Gaur.

Ghaziabad city generates at least 1,200-1,400 metric tonnes of solid waste daily. Bioremediation is the process where an environment friendly technique separates soil and recyclables from legacy waste at landfill sites and dump yards.

The civic body has used this method earlier to treat and remove 150,000 metric tonnes of solid refuse from an Indirapuram landfill and 491,000 metric tonnes from a landfill site in Pratap Vihar. The civic body began bioremediation at these two sites following directions from the National Green Tribunal in October 2020.

After clearing the waste, the municipal corporation started planting 50,000 trees at these two locations, said city health officer Mithilesh Kumar.

“Tenders are being invited for the remaining legacy waste, while the safe disposal of RDF will be our prime concern. Before awarding the tenders, we will inspect the bidder facilities,” Kumar said, adding that bioremediation may take up to a year.

The bioremediation strategy, according to officials, will also improve the city’s chances in the upcoming Swachh Survekshan 2023 survey. In the ranking exercise conducted in 2022 for cities with a population of between one and four million, Ghaziabad earned the 12th spot. In 2021, 2020, and 2019, it was ranked 18th, 19th, and 13th, respectively.

However, many people feel the civic body could do more to improve cleanliness. “The presence of legacy waste violates Solid Waste (Management) Rules, 2016. The situation will only improve once the city builds a high-capacity waste processing plant like the one in Galand. Until then, waste will continue to get dumped at temporary sites,” said Akash Vashishtha, an environmentalist and lawyer in Ghaziabad.