Deonar: BMC to seek closure extension

With the deadline to stop dumping waste at Deonar dumping ground closing in, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to approach the Bombay high court

With the deadline to stop dumping waste at Deonar dumping ground closing in, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to approach the Bombay high court (HC) for an extension of a year. BMC said it will need this time to appoint a contractor for the waste-to-energy plant planned at Deonar.

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Earlier this year, HC had set December 31, 2019, as the deadline for dumping waste at Deonar. With the deadline less than 25 days away, BMC said it needs more time. Joint municipal commissioner (solid waste management) Ashok Khaire said, “We plan to approach HC in the coming days seeking extension considering we are yet to appoint contractors for the waste-to-energy plant. The extension will be sought in the form of filing a writ petition.”

BMC’s plans for Deonar dumping ground include a waste-to-energy plant that will process 3,000 metric tonnes of waste and generate 25-30 megawatt of energy.

At present, Deonar receives over 20% of around 7,000 metric tonnes of waste that the city generates daily. The height of the garbage mount at Deonar is around 30 metres (m) or eight storeys high. This will be increased to 50m (or 15 storeys) to make space for the proposed waste-to-energy plant, which would be functional for 25 years.

According to BMC officials, the waste-to-energy plant will come up in three phases and at present, bidding for the project is underway. “The extension will at least have to be of around one year considering the bidding procedure will take around six to eight months,” said an official on condition of anonymity. Private parties have questioned the plant’s viability.

In 2013, BMC was directed to stop dumping at Deonar and in 2016, HC banned new construction in the city until BMC increased its waste treatment capacity. BMC was asked to augment waste treatment capacity to at least 11,000 tonnes per day. Since then, HC has given several extensions to BMC to stop dumping waste at Deonar. Fires broke out at Deonar in 2015 and 2016.

Arun Kumar, from the non-governmental organisation Apnalaya, said dumping waste at Deonar was a health hazard for those living in the area. “The BMC should carry out tenders for these [waste-to-energy] plants in a time-bound manner and should simultaneously work towards setting up plants at wards throughout the city to decentralise the same,” said Kumar.