Respite for Achan residents on cards, SMC to clear 11 lakh metric tons of solid waste in 18 months

Srinagar : Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) is all set to clear 11 lakh metric tons (MT) of municipal solid waste in next 18 months from Achan dumping site here.
A local news gathering agency quoted a top SMC Official as saying that two Material Recovery System (MRS) or Material Recovery Facility (MRF) processing plants are coming up for the first time at the site, to clear 11 MTs of municipal solid waste presently piled up at Achan landfilling site.
He informed that the site will be completely cleared from the municipal solid waste within 18 months, adding that at present, 600 MTs of municipal solid waste gets generated at the site on daily basis, but the two processing plants will now help to process mixed municipal solid waste to recover recyclable materials like paper, plastic, glass, and metals. The official said that the tenders have been floated in this regard and further necessary steps will be taken shortly to remove the piled up garbage once for all. “The measures being taken are set to end the woes of local residents, especially those living close to the dumping site, who have been raising their voices over the foul smell emanating from the waste, causing immense hardships to them,” he added. “The new processing facilities will fulfill the public demands and the people living around the landfilling site will heave a sigh of relief,” the officer said.
Pertinently, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on March 10 had informed the Legislative Assembly that the Achan 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 had said.
He had 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 had 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 had said