Bio-mining process in Perungudi landfill to be finished by August-end
On the other hand, following the opposition of the residents and activists to convert the reclaimed land into an eco-park, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has planned to reconsider the project and a meeting scheduled this week.
Processing of legacy waste going on at Perungudi landfill, which would be completed in the next 2 months (Justin George)
CHENNAI: The much-delayed bio-mining process in Perungudi landfill is expected to be completed by the end of August.
Most of the work has been completed and the remaining 3 packages would be finished before the deadline – January 2025.
On the other hand, following the opposition by residents and activists to convert the reclaimed land into an eco-park, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has planned to reconsider its plans, and scheduled a meeting this week.
At least 35 lakh cubic meters of waste dumped over 30 years in the Perungudi dump yard in an area of about 250 acres has been divided into 6 packages for bio-mining, recycling, and processing.
The process began on October 12, 2022, at a cost of Rs 350 crore.
The contract tenure is three years, and the work was expected to be completed by March 2024.
However, it has been extended to January 2025.
“Of the total six packages, most of the legacy waste processing has been completed in 3 packages. The remaining work is expected to be finished in the next two months. Though the deadline was extended to the contractors, they have ensured completion by August. After the land is reclaimed, we had planned to convert it into an eco-park but we’re reconsidering it,” said a senior official with GCC.
The civic authorities organised a stakeholder meeting in February 2024, in which residents and activists expressed their opposition for converting the reclaimed land into an eco-park. Instead, they urged the civic body to maintain the marshland as it is to increase the groundwater level in the locality.
“The groundwater in the area has been depleted and contaminated for more than 40 years due to the dump yard. If maintained as a marshland, it would store adequate rainwater during the monsoon. Plus, it would help in replenishing the groundwater in the area, and perhaps even de-contaminate it,” said R Prathiban, a resident of Perungudi. “If they convert into an eco-park, it will become a mess again because the Corporation won’t maintain it properly. We cannot rely on the residents either. No infrastructural development should be allowed on the land.”
Meanwhile, residents lamented over the foul odour that emanates each morning from the dump yard, due to the amount of waste being dumped in the landfill.