Chandigarh to adopt failed technology for garbage

According to the Project Design Document submitted to the CDM Board, Jaiprakash Associates Ltd. (JAL) is setting up one Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) processing plant near Chandigarh. The facility entails MSW processing to derive Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), which shall be used in a thermal power plant of JAL group at Bagheri in Himachal Pradesh. MSW for processing would be received from various collection centres in Chandigarh city. JAL has signed an MOU with Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) for establishing the MSW processing facility. MCC would be responsible for collection, transportation to the facility and JAL would be undertaking the processing of MSW on Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis.

It must be noted that RDF technology has been tried in Delhi and it was found that it is not suitable for Indian waste.

Chandigarh currently disposes the collected MSW directly at designated dump site at Dadu Majra, Chandigarh without any processing. The estimated quantity of MSW currently available for processing in the RDF plant is 350 TPD and is expected to reach up to 500 TPD in coming years. The proposed processing plant has the capacity to treat 500 TPD of MSW.

There is a case pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against such burnn technologies.

MSW processed in the proposed facility would be converted into RDF fluff/ pellets. RDF fluff/ pellets and sent to the captive power plant of the project proponent for its controlled burning in the boiler. The boiler at the power plant is a multi-fuel traveling grate boiler. RDF would be transported to the boiler site in covered trucks. RDF storage facility is at power plant & RDF processing sites. The inerts from the RDF plant will be dumped in the designated site close to the RDF plant. The ash from the boiler will be used in its cement plant at Bagheri as additive. The estimated cost of RDF plant is ~Rs.240 million. The technology for the RDF plant is from Andhra Pradesh Technology Development & Promotion Centre, APTDC.

It is the same technology that has failed in Andhra Pradesh and caused a public health disaster.

It is claimed that the project activity would result into GHG emission reduction by avoiding methane emission otherwise released due to anaerobic decomposition of MSW in uncontrolled landfill site, which is the current practice of disposal for MSW in the city. Such claims are contrary to what is stated in the Kyoto Protocol because waste incineration which is proposed is a green house gas emitter.