Perungudi biomining crosses 50%, compost plant to be ready by June 30

Chennai: About half of the biomining work at the Perungudi dumpyard has been completed, and a new composting facility at the site is expected to be ready by June 30.The biomining project at the 225-acre dumpyard, launched in 2021 at a cost of ₹350 crore, has so far reclaimed 94 acres, GCC commissioner Dr G S Sameeran said. The dumpyard has been divided into six remediation packages, of which packages 3, 4, and 5 have been completed. He instructed officials to expedite the remaining work under the second phase.The second phase of the project, costing ₹53.6 crore, involves processing 5.5 lakh cubic metres of legacy waste. The reclaimed site is also being prepared for new waste-processing infrastructure, with construction of a 100-tonne-per-day composting plant expected to be completed by June 30.Residents’ groups said a long-running dispute had delayed the work’s progress. There was a two-year arbitration issue involving a contractor, and after prolonged delays, the work resumed, said Federation of Thoraipakkam Residents Welfare Associations president A Francis. “For the past two years, officials have been saying that the work is progressing. There is some fencing activity near the Ramsar site. Officials must ensure that the site is protected from dumping and encroachments,” he added.Waste management experts said the compost plant could help only if source segregation improves. The new composting facility at Perungudi is a positive step and preferable to relying on large-scale mixed-waste processing plants, where waste is burnt, making the process more toxic, said former state solid waste management committee member Geo Damin. “Decentralised systems are safer and more sustainable,” He said that such facilities, , however, can function effectively only if door-to-door collection and source segregation are implemented properly. “Without segregation at the household level, even composting plants will struggle to operate efficiently,” he added.