‘Waste to compost’: Work order issued for biomining project at Pachanady dump yard

Team Udayavani, Aug 5, 2022, 12:55 PM IST

Mangaluru: A biomining project has been taken up to digest about 9 lakh tonnes of solid waste piled up at the Pachanady dump yard into fertilizer and other products.

Biomining is a process to restore the environment to its healthy state using microbial systems and microorganisms. Microorganisms are used to digest insoluble waste, remove toxins, and extract useful products from waste.

The preliminary works for the Biomining project at Pachanady have already begun. A huge shed is being constructed, which is scheduled to complete in a week’s time. Machinery for segregating and processing the waste is also being installed. As per the current information, the full-scale works are scheduled to begin in two months’ time.

MLA D Vedavyas Kamath said that the tender for the biomining project has already been finalized and the work order has been given. The preliminary phase work has already started. In order to speed up the work, a meeting will be held with the concerned officials soon, he added.

Meanwhile, the city corporation is in the process of discussing and finalizing details of what can be produced from the accumulated waste.

Overall wastes will be treated in three ways. Processing takes place in screening at 80 mm, 35 mm, and 8 mm separately. It is proposed that fertilizers and oil be extracted from these processed products. Similarly, unusable materials can be sent to cement manufacturing.

In August of 2019, the waste from the Pachanady dumping yard slid off to nearby areas of Mandara. In the aftermath of the disaster, courts had pulled up the city corporation for not taking enough action. Courts had also directed the corporation to take urgent remedial actions.

A barrier wall was built to prevent the waste from sliding further. A tank was also built to store wastewater seeping out from the waste. CCTV cameras were also installed to track unauthorized garbage disposal.

The project will need about Rs 56 crores and the city corporation has already written a letter to KUIDFC for financial assistance, which has been provisionally approved.