Dhapa: KMC investing Rs 21L for water sprinkler vans to tackle landfill fire
Kolkata: In a bid to tackle the random fire erupting from the garbage heaps at the Dhapa landfill facility due to build up of methane gas, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is spending Rs 21 lakh for water sprinkler vans while taking measures to process and recycle the tonnes of waste dumped.
Mayor Firhad Hakim on Thursday visited the Dhapa landfill site for inspection. He told the media that the civic body is getting sprinkler vans with 9,000 litres capacity. The sprinklers will be installed in the existing vehicles of KMC. Such sprinklers will be able to spray 3,000 litres per minute to a distance of 80 metres.
He further said that six 1.5 tonnes battery operated payloaders to help dump the waste into compactors will be in use. This is part of a pilot project.
Hakim also added that a one tonne capacity thermocol processing plant has been installed. The waste will be processed to create new items.
Hakim also shared that a 100-tonne material recovery facility at Dhapa will help in waste segregation. This will also help in obtaining refuse derived fuel (RDF) from the non-recyclable waste.
Giving statistics of the amount of waste recycled per day, the Mayor said about 1500 tonne per day is recycled out of some 4000 tonnes dumped at Dhapa each day.
He said the civic body is trying to augment capacity of recycling so that the entire 4,000 tonnes dumped can be recycled per day.
Recently, following the land subsidence at the Howrah’s Belgachia dumping ground which displaced many from their homes which developed cracks, the waste which used to be dumped there have been redirected to the already overburdened Dhapa.
The Dhapa dumping ground, adjacent to EM Bypass, draws waste from both city and adjoining areas including Bidhananagar, Nabadiganta Industrial Township and Panihati Municipality areas.
Geology experts had advised that KMC must reduce the garbage quantity and look for ways to draw out the methane to avoid fires and possible explosions.
