Srinagar, Mar 10 (KNO): Jammu and Kahsmir government on Monday said that the Achan waste management facility in Srinagar manages 550 tonnes of solid waste management per day and series of state-of-the-art waste processing facilities have been proposed for 100 percent scientific waste management.
Replying to a question by MLA Mubarak Gul, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that the site was established in 1986 and initially functioned as a landfill site and over the years, it has evolved into a critical waste processing hub for the city.
"The site handles approximately 550 TPD of municipal solid waste, serving as the primary waste disposal and processing facility. While it has historically faced challenges related to odour and environmental concerns, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has been actively implementing measures to minimise any impact on nearby residents. Continuous efforts are being made to ensure that waste processing and disposal are carried out scientifically and in compliance with environmental standards," he said.
He said that under Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, and City to Investments to Innovate, Integrate, and Sustain, SMC has proposed a series of state-of-the-art waste processing facilities aimed at achieving 100% scientific waste management. "These projects are expected to be fully operational by 2027, significantly reducing landfill dependency and improving environmental compliance".
He said that key proposed facilities include material recovery facility (MRF)-459 TPD, Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) Plant-300 TPD, loT-Based Waste Management System, Bio-Mining of Legacy Waste-11 Lakh MT and Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) Plant-459 TPD.
"The site, spanning 123 acres, has 3 engineered landfill cells with a cumulative capacity of approximately 6 lakh MT for scientific waste disposal. However, due to the default of the waste-to-energy project developer over 7 years the site now holds over 11 lakh MT of legacy waste, and SMC subsequent termination of the project," he said.
The CM said that to mitigate this crisis and transition towards 100% scientific waste processing, SMC has undertaken several key initiatives—(KNO)