Karnal waste plant proves its worth

Parveen Arora

After facing several hurdles, including shutdowns, in the last around seven years, the solid waste management plant located near Shekhpura Suhana village on the Karnal-Meerut road in Karnal district has started to prove its worth.

The plant, which was earlier a dumpsite of heaps of stinking garbage and an environmental hazard, has started utilising solid waste to generate compost manure, which helps in improving the carbon content in soil. Besides, it is also converting polythene bags into plastic pellets, which are used in making furniture, panels and other items of plastic. 

The plant is also converting waste into refuse-derived fuel (RDF), which is in high demand in various industries of Panipat. It is progressing well to become self-reliant in future. 

The increasing solid waste has been a major problem for the Karnal Municipal Corporation (MC) . The previous government had initiated the project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) to convert solid waste into compost and RDF. Its foundation stone was laid in 2008, while former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda inaugurated it in 2012. The plant was put on a trial run in 2010. Hydroair Tectonics Pollution Control Development Limited (HTPL), a Mumbai-based company, was assigned the task of operating the plant on the build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis for 30 years, but it failed to give the desired results.

The HTPL constructed the plant at a cost of Rs 32 crore, and the state government footed half of it. But as the plant remained non-functional, it became a large dumping ground and a health hazard. The MC terminated the contract of the HTPL and hired Aakanksha Enterprises in 2017.

Previously, only 10 per cent of solid waste was composted, but now 100 per cent waste is being composted, says Rajiv Girdhar, project in-charge. 

Karnal, having a population of over 4.2 lakh, produces around 200 tonnes per day (TPD) of garbage. After the Central Government launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the MC authorities shifted focus to this neglected plant. The MC is now ensuring segregation of waste at source, resulting in its effective management.

With proper segregation of waste at source, the plant has generated a huge quantity of compost, the demand of which is increasing day by day. Now, compost buyers are coming from Uttar Pradesh, Panipat, Kaithal, Karnal, Kurukshetra and other places. The compost manure is provided free of cost to local farmers, while it is sold at the rate of Rs 1,500 per tonne to traders and farmers coming from other cities.

“We have received orders for manure from Uttar Pradesh and various cities of Haryana. A local farmer can take compost manure from the plant free of cost, as we are promoting its use in fields,” says Girdhar.

Project to supplement MC income

"Earlier, it was challenging for the Karnal MC to run the solid waste management plant smoothly. But now, it is working properly. The smooth functioning of the plant has also made its surroundings clean that were earlier littered with heaps of garbage.In the coming days, the project will start supplementing the income of the MC." — Renu Bala Gupta, Karnal Mayor