On Tuesday, the board of the company passed a resolution to send the proposal to the state government. | Photo Credit: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM
Processing of Kodungaiyur landfill site through bio-mining is likely to begin at an estimated cost of ₹ 648 crore. The project aims to mitigate pollution in North Chennai.
The Chennai Corporation Council on Tuesday passed a resolution to send the proposal to the Tamil Nadu government. Councilors who spoke before the resolution was passed said the project was expected to reduce pollution deaths in the neighbourhood.
“More than 8 million people live in this area. Many residents died due to pollution,” the councilor said. Following a demand from residents, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has announced that it will bring back the landfill in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and the directions of the National Green Tribunal. The corporation has already implemented a bio-mining project at the Perungudi landfill to reclaim 200 acres.
Of the 342.91 acres owned by the corporation at Kodungaiyur, about 252 acres filled with legacy waste will be reclaimed.
Dumping by the GCC began in the 1980s. The site has an estimated 66.52 lakh tonnes of old solid waste dumped from areas including Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Ambattur and Anna Nagar.
In 2021, Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi asked the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL) to appoint a consultant to prepare a detailed feasibility report and offer transaction advisory services for the redevelopment of the Kodungaiyur landfill. TNUIFSL appointed the consultant in January this year.
In March, after consulting experts from Anna University, IIT Madras, TNPCB and TNUIFSL, the corporation decided to rehabilitate the landfill by bio-mining 73.9 lakh cubic meters of waste. The civic body will also implement IEC activities in the area to reduce the impact of pollution.