Strategic Action Plan - International Environmental Technology Centre

Box 3.5: Decentralized treatment Methods in Pune
greater than 20t/month. One of the major reasons for failure of vermin-composting plants was
pointed out to be the casual approach of handling such plants. A sound technical training is
therefore a pre-requisite for effective working of the plants. The land requirements for treatment
plant are around 2100 sq.m. Mailhem specializes in state- of the art bio-methanation techniques to
generate biogas from various types of bio-degradable organic solid waste. Excel industries have
developed an organic waste convertor which produces Celrich, a rich source of organic matter
generated primarily from animal, canteen and agro waste. This soil enricher is capable of
enhancing the yields, optimizing fertilizer usage and ensuring sustainability in agriculture. The use
of Bio-sanitizer and EM solutions for waste treatment are also being used.
3.5.1.4 Disposal
The waste is collected from all the collection points and brought to the ramps of the transfer stations
by Dumper placers. Some recovery of recyclables by formal and informal sector also takes place at
transfer stations. Two of the transfer stations have weighing facility and one of them has
computerized system for records. The waste from the transfer stations is sent to the disposal site by
Compactors and Bulk Refuse Carriers.
The PMC is disposing off the MSW collected at an abandoned stone quarry of around 163 acres at
Urali Devachi which is located 20 km away from the city. A part of the disposal site was remediated
with liner system. The waste dumped is spread using bulldozers and EM (Effective Micro organism)
solution is sprayed over the waste at disposal site to enhance degradation of the biodegradable waste
disposed. At the disposal site rag pickers also work to retrieve resources from the waste. The waste
disposed at the site by the BRCs is spread by using bull dozers and excavators. There are 2 to 3 bull
dozers and 2 excavators used at the site on a routine basis. A part of the degraded waste from the
disposal site is reported to be mined and taken by the farmers as soil conditioners for farm
applications. However no report of their quality was available.
The improper management of solid waste significantly affects health of the waste workers as well as
citizens. It also has a remarkable impact on the Environment. However there is no study done to
show the specific impact except the study of environmental factors near the disposal site.
The Figure 3.24 shows the location of the disposal sites as well as the Transfer Stations in Pune.
Considering the health hazards related to landfills there have been problems in acquiring new landfill
sites. For most of the cases, Public Information Litigation (PILs) have been filed on the basis of the
NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) concept.
Strategic Action Planning for Pune 55