Kolkata: State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim has pledged to clear all waste from the landfill site in Belgachia, Howrah, and assured to rehabilitate residents whose homes have developed cracks.
Hakim inspected the site where a landslide had occurred disrupting water connections and leaving many homeless with houses developed cracks.
The landslide had disrupted water connections and left many homeless as houses developed cracks. The district administration had relocated 350 residents from 18 severely damaged houses to a local school for temporary shelter. Reportedly nearly 15,000 people have been affected, with many choosing to remain near their homes due to concerns over their belongings
“The entire place here is a landfill site and due to massive garbage accumulation, the soil is losing its bearing capacity. People have set up homes here illegally. We will identify vacant lands and will shift the residents there. The Central government has stopped rural funds. So, we have to execute the entire work through our exchequer,” said Hakim.
He maintained that the entire process of rehabilitation and removal of the landfill site will take 2-3 years. However, bio-mining will be rapidly implemented to convert the accumulated garbage.
Hakim who is also the chairman of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) said that the UD & MA department and KMDA will work jointly to examine whether the vats can be replaced by portable compactors. “We will also identify places where compactor stations can be set up,” he said.
Hakim also stressed the need for segregation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste as pointed out by experts so that dumping can be carried out in a
systematic way. The minister said that KMDA will commence sheet piling work for drainage. Experts who visited the site said that the soil lost its absorption capability, leading to the build-up of methane underground following the decomposition of the wastes, including animal carcasses.
The accumulation of methane gas underground can lead to explosions and fires, as well as contaminate groundwater. Therefore, it was suggested that state authorities take action to extract the methane gas to prevent further landslides in the surrounding areas. The crisis began on early Thursday morning when a major land subsidence occurred in the area known as Jheelpar, damaging underground infrastructure.
The impact ruptured a crucial water pipeline, nearly one kilometre long. This has caused an acute water shortage in 14 wards of North Howrah and eight wards in Shibpur. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari visited the site soon after Hakim’s visit and hit out at the state government for the Belgachia incident.