SRINAGAR: The proposed Rs 361-crore Integrated Solid Waste Management Project at Achan in Srinagar has entered the tendering stage, with the project designed to process up to 800 tonnes of municipal waste per day.
The details were provided by the Housing and Urban Development Department in response to a starred question raised by MLA Mubarik Gul in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
The project, approved at an estimated cost of Rs 361 crore, includes composting facilities, a Bio-CBG plant, material recovery facilities, a refuse-derived fuel facility, scientific sanitary landfill, transfer stations, leachate management infrastructure and other environmental infrastructure.
According to the department, the project has a construction period of 24 months and a total timeline of 25 months.
The government said no agency or contractor has so far been allotted the project, which is currently under tendering.
Meanwhile, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation is managing around 500-550 tonnes of municipal solid waste generated within the city through an integrated system of collection, transportation, processing and disposal.
The department said door-to-door collection of municipal waste has achieved 100 per cent coverage across all wards of Srinagar, while around 60 per cent of waste is currently being segregated at source.
More than 380 waste collection and transportation vehicles, including compactors, tippers and dumper placers, have been deployed, while over 2,700 sanitation workers are engaged in collection, transportation and sanitation services.
At Achan, the SMC has established a 100 TPD Material Recovery Facility for segregation and recovery of recyclable waste such as plastic, paper, cardboard and metals.
An 85 TPD wet waste processing plant has also been established at Achan for scientific treatment of segregated biodegradable waste.
The government said work has also been initiated for biomining and bioremediation of around 11 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste accumulated at the Achan dumpsite.
The work has been awarded to a specialised agency, while windrow formation and associated civil works are currently in progress.
The remediation process involves scientific segregation and recovery of recyclable material and stabilisation of waste fractions, with the department stating that it is aimed at reducing environmental liabilities and improving conditions at the Achan site.
Work on a 60 KLD leachate treatment plant is also under progress.
In addition, a 125 TPD Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste Management Facility is being established at Achan under SBM-U 2.0.
The government said the C&D waste facility has been awarded to a contractor. Civil works have been completed, while mechanical works and equipment installation are under progress.
Once commissioned, the facility will facilitate scientific processing of construction and demolition waste, recovery and reuse of construction materials and reduction of illegal dumping.
The department said these measures are being undertaken as part of efforts to strengthen scientific waste management and improve environmental conditions around the Achan dumpsite.
