MSW plant in Dadumajra: Toxic dioxin levels found exceeding permissible limits

A monitoring committee was informed by the representative of the solid waste management plant that out of 150MT material being received at the plant site, only 20-25 MT material is segregated.




AN NGT-APPOINTED monitoring committee has found that machinery at a solid waste management plant in Dadumajra is generating a high amount of dioxins — a group of highly toxic chemical compounds — into the environment that can cause health problems related to reproduction, development and the immune system.

The National Green Tribunal had appointed the committee, headed by Justice Pritam Pal. “During both inspections by the monitoring committee on January 14 and 18, only an old furnace was found in operation, which is being operated at low temperature 400 degrees C, resulting in generation of dioxin and furan gases in the environment, whereas the new Thermax make furnace which is operated at 1000 degrees C and may eliminate the production of dioxin and furnace gases was not in operation,” the report stated.

It further said, “In the solid waste processing plant, to control gaseous omissions, the plant authority has installed a cyclonic separator followed by venture scrubber and carbon bed scrubber. However, the representative of CPCC claimed that they have monitored the stack of solid waste processing plant a number of times and the value of dioxin has been found beyond permissible limits every time.”

At the same time, the monitoring committee was informed by the representative of the solid waste management plant that out of 150MT material being received at the plant site, only 20-25 MT material is segregated.

It was also said that inert material lying at the site (as claimed by the representative of the plant) was found to containing some portion of RDF, which could have been recovered by the plant operator.

The present 25,000 metric tonnes of solid waste lying dumped at the site has occupied most of the space of the plant and it has become difficult for vehicles to move within the premises of the plant.

The committee had during its visit on January 18 found that 25,000 MT non-segregated and unprocessed solid waste was lying dumped within the premises of municipal plant.

What the House decided on Tuesday

Due to a dispute between corporation and plant authorities — as the NGT had given one month time to decide if it wanted to carry on with the present company — the House decided to terminate the agreement with them and take over the plant.

It was in 2005 that an agreement with Jaypee was signed and MC provided 10 acres of land on a nominal lease rent of Rs 1 per sq mt per annum for setting up this plant for a period of 30 years.

The company then got into a legal battle with the civic body where it demanded tipping fee. At the same time, the civic body had argued that the company wasn’t processing the city’s waste and most of it was going to the dumping ground which was an environmental concern.

On February 12 this year, during a hearing of the case before National Green Tribunal, it was left to the MC to decide within a month whether or not it wanted to continue the agreement with Jaypee.

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