Nagpur | April 13, 2017: Guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has said that the city's dumping ground, which is currently located at Bhandewadi, will be shifted about 20 kilometres away from Nagpur. In the last 30 days, 2 major fires have engulfed the municipal waste emitting poisonous gases and making it difficult for residents nearby. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation has been trying to finalize an alternative site.

"The mines at Kuhi-Dongargaon on Umred Road has been shortlisted as an alternative site," he said.

Bawankule added that the state government will also buy the electricity that will be generated through city's municipal solid waste.

The district guardian minister was speaking at the closing of two-day international conference on integrated solid waste management practices in developing countries organized by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri), Government institute of Science and Government Institute of Forensic Science.

"Electricity which will be generated by Nagpur Municipal Corporation's project of waste to energy will be purchased by the government through a power purchase agreement. In fact, I am also willing to provide power at low rates for the facilitation of this project," Bawankule said.

The minister further stressed that waste needs to be managed and put to use. Adding that no power is being generated from fresh water, he said, "We are generating power only from dirty and unusable water."

Compost expert Suhas Budhe highlighted the benefits of enriched compost and the phosphorous cycle. "We have only 30-35 years of phosphorous left. It is as essential for plants as oxygen is for us. Yet nobody is taking care or ownership of phosphorous," he said.

JS Pandey, chief scientist at Neeri, said that technology development was not the only solution to all the problems. "We need to branch out various methods to save our environment. Development not just lies only with the Ministry of Environment and Forest but also with the Ministry of Human Resource Development. We need to revolutionize primary level education. It's for the benefit of future generations to come," he said.

Anusuya Chhabrani, a representative of Swacch Nagpur, said that India's waste needs to be treated differently. "NMC made a lot of promises but took no action to manage and treat municipal solid waste. Waste management should begin with self-commitment. From June 5, segregation of waste will be mandated for all. If you don't segregate your waste, it won't be picked up," she said.

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)