Sushree Mohanty
A proposed Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plant at Kuberpur dumpsite in Agra has received Supreme Court’s grant in February 2021 — almost five years after the idea was originally proposed to the court.
The proposal for the plant was forwarded by the Agra Municipal Corporation (AMC) in the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) which is deemed as an eco-sensitive area.
The apex court had in February 2019 asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to form a suitability study on the plant.
Agra city produces about 800 tons per day (TPD) of solid waste, including inert and channel residues, the vast majority of which is moved to the Kuberpur dumpsite that is situated at a distance of 15 kilometers from the city.
The city can measure around 450 tons per day.
As per the report presented by the Centre for Science and Environment, a Delhi-based research organization, about 57% of the waste produced in Agra is biodegradable.`
The Central Pollution Control Board has recently called for attention in a new report presented by the state urban development division to the National Green Tribunal which suggested that more than 690 tons per day of municipal solid waste (MSW) was being moved to the Kuberpur dumpsite.
This implies that although Agra can treat more than 50% of its waste on its own, the city however depends on sending more than 85% of it to the dumpsite.
Thus the utilization of fits technology and resources are not achieved to their potential.
This leads to a question being raised over the sanctioning of the 500 tons per day plant in mid-2022 and the possibility of it meeting a similar fate.
A large portion of the Waste to Energy plants in India shut down in a small time frame of its inauguration while the still functioning plants are under investigation for environmental violations or breach of rules.
There are a few more reasons as to why these plants do not work in India.
The principal determinants of the Waste to Energy feedstock are the composition, calorific worth, and moisture substance of the waste.
Because of higher measures of biodegradable part in the un-segregated waste, the calorific estimation of the waste produced in India is below the necessary 1, 500 kilocalories/kilogram and high in moisture substance rendering it unfit for energy source.
Extra fuel is needed to consume this waste. This was the reason the Waste to Energy plants in Kanpur, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Lucknow, etc were closed down.
The proposed plan in Agra is created by a Czech Republic-based organization, which will begin its commission over the following year and a half.
The calorific estimation of the waste produced in the Organization for Economic Co-operations and Development nations is calculated to range between 1,912 and 3,824 kcal/kg.
The calorific number and moisture substance of waste shifts generally from one city to another.
As per the 2004-2005 report by Central Pollution Control Board and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, the normal calorific estimation of waste was 1,411-2,162 kcal/kg and the normal moisture content was 41-52 percent in 35 metro cities and 24 state capitals.
Biodegradable waste must be dealt with utilizing high-impact and anaerobic technologies which is similar to its generation source, as indicated by Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
Recyclables must be channelized for reusing and non-recyclable waste with a calorific worth higher or equivalent to 1,500 kcal/kg must be utilized to create energy either through Waste to Energy plants or in concrete kilns.
Roughly 15% of the 55 million metric tons of Municipal Solid Waste created each year in India can be used as non-biodegradable, non-recyclable, and high calorific worth waste. This implies that around 30,000 tons per day of waste can be taken care of by the Waste to Energy plants.
If this example is proposed to be followed in Agra, roughly 120 tons per day of feedstock can be organized in the Waste to Energy plants from inside the city while the rest would need to be channelized through close by communities.
This would be a case in an optimistic situation. The most well-known explanation behind the failure of Waste to Energy plants is the disproportionate between the plants’ requisites and the nature of waste it gets in terms of its calorific worth, moisture substance content, and actual composition.
The city organization is anticipating the innovation, yet with restricted comprehension of it.
Waste to-energy is viewed as a silver projectile that can tackle the waste administration issue for the time being. However, Agra, with its current waste management limit, has the chance to design and use its existing foundation by channelizing the correct sort of waste to the correct sort of office.
One sure approach to achieve this is source isolation — a non-debatable component of all waste administration tasks. The truth will surface eventually if Agra can put the plan into action successfully.