Mumbai: The civic officials has expressed concern over the slow progress at the Mulund dumping ground, where only 50% of the 70 lakh tonnes of waste has been processed so far. With just six months remaining to meet the target by June 2025, the contractor has been warned to ramp up efforts and process 15,000 tonnes of waste daily to ensure the goal is met on time.
The Mulund dumping ground closure project, which was originally planned to be completed by the end of 2024, has faced significant delays. The contract, worth Rs. 731 crore, was awarded after the ground’s closure in October 2018 to process waste using advanced technology.
However, due to factors like the Covid pandemic and delays in obtaining necessary permissions, actual work only began in 2021. The contractor was tasked with processing 11 to 12 lakh tonnes of waste annually, but this target has not been met.
As a result, the BMC extended the deadline for closing the dumping ground from October 2024 to June 2025. Recently, the Solid Waste Management (SWM) department held a review meeting with the contractor and consultant.
A senior civic official stated, “Currently, 8,000 to 9,000 tonnes of waste are being processed. Since the project was delayed due to the pandemic, we allowed a one-year extension. The contractor has been already fined for the delay and has been given the target of processing 15,000 tonnes of waste daily. He will also need to deploy additional machinery to ensure the work is completed as per the deadline.”
During waste processing, over two lakh tonnes of scrap combustible fractions (SCF) such as plastic, fiber, and wood were identified. The BMC plans to convert these materials into oil or pellets by setting up two on-site plants.
One of these will be a Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) unit, capable of processing 200 tonnes of SCF daily to produce pellets, which can be used as a substitute for fossil fuels in cement manufacturing. The BMC collects around 6,300 metric tonnes of garbage from the city each day.
Of this, 5,500 metric tonnes are sent to the processing plant in Kanjurmarg, while another 700 metric tonnes are dumped at the Deonar dump yard. After Deonar, Mulund was the second largest dumping ground in the city, covering 24 hectares and in operation since 1967.