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Breaching the January 3 deadline to clean up 5 lakh metric tonnes of waste from the Jamalpur dump site in the first phase, the municipal has only been able to clear half of the old waste from the site in the given timeframe.
The MC officials said that they have been able to clear 2.70 lakh metric tonnes of old waste from the dump site that covers about 51 acres due to the new garbage being dumped there every day. As a result, another 5 lakh metric tonnes of waste has piled up at the site during in the last two years.
The work order was issued by the MC in August 3, 2022 to clean about 25 lakh metric tonnes of old waste. The first phase aimed to clean with 5 lakh metric tonnes of waste by January 3, 2024. The estimated cost for the first phase was ₹27.17 crore. However, only 2.70 metric tonnes of waste was cleaned in the given timeframe.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had issued instructions in 2021 to stop using water pumps within 2 km of the dumpsite because the groundwater was getting polluted. They also ordered authorities to find alternative ways to provide safe drinking water to residents. Additionally, fires at the dump site are common during the summer, causing air pollution.
The NGT criticised the MC for not following solid waste management rules and other environmental laws. A report from the NGT’s monitoring panel revealed that about 30 lakh metric tonnes of old waste had built up at the dump site. This failure to manage the waste properly has raised serious concerns about environmental pollution and public health.
According to MC officials, they are going to allot the tender of bio gas and other projects to handle the regular waste so that it can be processed properly.
Sanjay Kanwar, superintending engineer, MC, said, “Due to rain, the process was stalled in the past few weeks. The project has now been expedited and tenders for the processing of the regular waste have been floated and the project is going to start soon”.
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