Noida authority to rope in consultant for waste management facility

Noida authority had been struggling to find a landfill site for disposing waste

The Noida authority is set to rope in a central government consultant that will guide in creation of a waste management facility for the city. The consultant will provide guidance on making terms and conditions under which the expert agency will work for municipal solid waste disposal.

Noida throws up 600 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste every day. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

The authority needs to select an expert private agency to treat city’s 660 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste and a dedicated expert agency that will deal with construction waste produced in the city. The Noida authority does not have an exact estimate of construction material produced per day.

In the absence of a facility for solid waste disposal, the authority collects waste from primary garbage points (dump yards) and dumps the same randomly on vacant land. Ragpickers collect waste door to door and after picking out saleable items, dump the remaining garbage at nearby dump yards outside each residential area. They charge around ₹20-50 per month from house owners and also sell plastic waste to make profit. This unregulated and unscientific system of garbage disposal causes pollution and health hazards for the public, said officials.

After the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) October 10 order banning dumping of garbage at a vacant plot in Sector 138A, the Noida authority has been struggling to find a suitable landfill site for disposal of solid waste. As a result, the authority is dumping the waste at other vacant areas, which has irked nearby residents no end.

Read I Garbage dumping: Noida authority turns focus on waste management

“We have two approved landfill sites — one each in sectors 123 and 151. But we are waiting for a final order from the NGT on landfill issue to decide where we should dump the waste finally. Once the consultant is hired, we will select an agency in the next two to three months through a tender process,” said Tandon.

The authority has already seen presentations on the waste treatment technology of 15 private agencies.

“The consultant will now prepare a request for proposal (RFP) paving the way for the selection of an agency,” said Tandon.

Over the last 10 years, the authority has tried several times to select private agency for solid waste disposal. But the plans never materialised and the waste continues to be thrown in vacant plots, causing pollution.