Solid waste management centres approved for processing solid waste in small towns of J&K: Govt

Jammu, Mar 6 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday said 78 solid waste management centres and material recovery facilities along with compost pits have been approved for processing of municipal solid waste in small and medium towns of the region.

The work has been awarded for the bio-remediation of 6.16 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste in Jammu, and a tender has been floated for the bio-remediation of 11.00 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste in Srinagar.

Replying to a question from Congress member Ghulam Ahmed Mir in the Assembly, Health Minister Sakina Itoo said scientific processing of municipal solid waste in the small and medium towns of Jammu and Kashmir has been undertaken.

“The establishment of 78 solid waste management centres (WMCs), material recovery facilities (MRFs), and compost pits has been approved. Construction work at 52 locations has been undertaken, out of which 33 waste management centres and MRFs, along with 30 compost pits, have been completed,” she said during the Question Hour.

The minister said work at 19 more sites of WMCs and MRFs and 22 compost pits is in progress.

“Bio-remediation of legacy waste at dumpsites like Bhagwati Nagar, Kathua, Samba, Udhampur, Tral, Bijbehara, Pahalgam, Anantnag, and Tangmarg has been completed, with 3.88 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste bio-remediated,” she said.

Work has been awarded for the bio-remediation of 6.16 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste at Kot Bhalwal by the Jammu Municipal Corporation, and for 1.20 lakh MT for seven urban local bodies, she said.

Besides, a tender has been floated for the bio-remediation of 11.00 lakh MT of legacy waste at Achan in Srinagar, she added.

The minister said work has been awarded for the construction of 65 treatment plants in Jammu, and a tender has been floated for the construction of 125 treatment plants in Srinagar.

She added that a compressed bio-gas plant for 450 tonnes per day (TPD) by JMC and another for 350 TPD will be completed by May 2025.

The minister said the construction of 375 aspirational toilet seats has been undertaken and a tender has been floated for the construction of such toilets.

“An action plan for an amount of Rs 67.24 crore has been formulated for the establishment of a 700 TPD pre-processing unit, a 150 KLD treatment plant, a 300 TPD briquetting plant, and an RFID tagging system for 2.4 lakh households and 80,000 commercial units,” she said.

The minister further said that three solid waste management plants of four TPD each have been approved for the municipal committee of Dooru-Verinag.