Seven months left for Mumbai’s first ever waste-to-energy (WTE) plant to become operational, residents of Govandi, Shivaji Nagar, have written to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), seeking its immediate intervention against the facility.
The facility, spread across 73 acres of the 311-acre Deonar dumping ground, will share its boundary with Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar area, one of the densely populated areas in Mumbai, comprising residents from lower income groups.
The plant, being built at a cost of Rs 504 crore by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), is set to become operational in October this year. It will generate 7 mega Watt (MW) electricity by processing 600-700 metric tonnes (MT) of solid waste that comes to the dumping ground daily.
The residents have been protesting the setting up of this facility at the heart of Shivaji Nagar. Faiyaz Alam Shaikh — a local resident and founder, convenor of Govandi Citizen’s welfare Forum, alleged that no public consultation was carried out before initiating the project.
“WTE plants are globally known for emitting toxic particles in the air. This will adversely affect the local air quality. Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar is one of the polluted areas in Mumbai due to the presence of a dumping ground. People living here have the lowest life expectancy rate in the entire Mumbai. This plant will only add up to the woes,” Shaikh said.
The residents have demanded immediate intervention of the NGT as well as scrapping of the project. He said that the reservation of the land was changed without any public consultation.
“A comptroller and auditor general (CAG) report had flagged financial irregularities in the run up to this project,” he added.
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However, civic officials maintained that the project is being implemented after taking environmental clearances from the state and national pollution control boards.
“The WTE plant will be the first attempt towards starting scientific treatment of the existing untreated legacy waste that is lying in the dumpyard. These kinds of plants are needed to be set up inside the dumpyard so that the incoming waste materials can be treated immediately. The landfill has been there for nearly a century now, therefore it is feasible for us to set up the plant at Deonar only,” the official added.
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