The Solid Waste Management Facility at Calangute completed its 1st Anniversary on the 30th of May 2017. After one year of successful operations, the performance of the Facility is surely to be applauded. Here are some facts you may not have known about the Calangute Garbage Treatment Plant.
1. The Facility is entirely compliant with the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 notified by the Government of India.
2. The construction of the Facility was completed in a record time of 18 months!
3. The Facility has been constructed on “Design-Finance–Build–Operate–Transfer” (DFBOT) Basis. The entire investment has been made by the Contractor. The Government of Goa shall pay back in installments over 10 years, based on strict performance monitoring.
4. The detailed technical operation of the Facility was critically analysed by an Expert Committee comprising members from IIT Bombay, NEERI Nagpur, BITS Pilani, etc.
5. The Facility has been constructed in an area adjoining a 25-year-old dumpsite. Not only was the Facility constructed as per plan, but a staggering 50,000-ton garbage dump was also remediated.
6. Treatment of the garbage is done in enclosed sheds with proper ventilation, lighting and odour control mechanisms. There are biofilters and fans for odour control as well as an exhaust system in the Tipping Floor (where the incoming waste is deposited) and the Material Recovery Shed (where segregation of dry waste is done).
7. Electricity is generated from the wet (organic) component of the waste. After utilizing it for in-house operations, the surplus is being fed to the Grid. Around 7000 Units of Electricity are generated every day from the waste reaching the Plant!
8. As per the mandate of the Contract, only 10% of the incoming waste can go to the Landfill, which is in stark contrast to other Plants operational elsewhere. This means that organics, recyclables, RDF, etc. are all retrieved from the waste.
9. The Material Segregation Shed has been carefully designed to have a self-supporting roof for free movement of vehicles and also to avoid the menace of birds resting inside the Shed.
10. The Facility operates like a Production Factory, and high levels of cleanliness are maintained using specialized cleaning machinery. A time span of two hours is dedicated per shift for cleaning.
11. The design of the Facility is such that there is minimal human contact with the waste. This includes the presence of equipment such as feeding bunker, bag opening shredder, manual sorting conveyors, automatic baler press, wheel loaders, tipper trucks, etc.
12. The entire plant operation is SCADA-based and can be remotely monitored. Audio Visual Alarms have been provided in case of Emergency. The entire Facility is under CCTV surveillance.
13. Inerts from the remediation of the existing dump have been used for filling up and landscaping the site. You will see vegetables and medicinal plants specially grown on the site. Around 1000 species of selected species have been planted till date.
14. The Facility has potential to become a Tourist Attraction. The Plant has already had visits from National and Foreign delegates, Government Officials, Schools, local representatives, administrators and several others.
15. More than 15 fractions from the dry waste are sorted out at the Manual Sorting Station and given for recycling, which includes PET Bottles, hard plastics, paper, cardboard, thermocol, cloth, etc.
16. Welfare of the Workforce is a top priority and they have been provided with amenities such as local travel, food and tea at site and routine medical check-ups. What’s more is that workers surviving on the old garbage dump have been rehabilitated.
17. The Facility hosts an in-house laboratory for monitoring compost quality, water quality, etc.
18. The Facility shall be operated by the Contractor for 10 years; and thereafter shall be handed over to the Government of Goa.
Read more about the Solid Waste Management Facility at Calangute HERE!
Photo credits: Hindustan Waste Treatment Pvt. Ltd. and Solid Waste Management Cell, Govt. of Goa
