Uttarakhand govt initiates set up of six plants to generate electricity from solid waste

DEHRADUN: The Government of Uttarakhand has now started working on electricity generation from solid waste in order to improve solid waste management. Madan Kaushik, Minister for Urban Development, Government of Uttarakhand, has asked government officials to draw up a comprehensive plan for the establishment of six power plants in the state that produce electricity from solid waste. The plants will be built in Roorkee, Rudrapur, Kashipur, Haldwani, Rishikesh and Kotdwar.

A biogas plant should be set up with the help of the Indian Oil Corporation in Haridwar and a waste-to-energy plant in Roorkee. For the upcoming Haldwani, Kashipur, Rishikesh, Rudrapur and Kotdwar plants, an action plan must be formulated. In accordance with the action plan, proper waste segregation, compost making and other activities for proper solid waste management should be monitored in all municipal bodies, Kaushik said.

Kaushik further said following waste separation, urban local bodies should work towards generating income by selling compost material to the Agriculture and Horticulture Department. The money received by the 14th Finance Commission will be spent in Solid Waste Management until 100% door-to-door collection and source segmentation is achieved.

As per the pollution control board records, it is possible to produce approximately 300 megawatts of electricity using waste generated in the state.

According to the latest State of Environment Report released by Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board, it is estimated that approximately 900 metric tons of solid waste is produced from Uttarakhand’s urban local bodies daily. Currently in Haridwar (Sarai), two waste management facilities operate which lift and dump about 50 per cent of waste at unidentified sites. The Report also states that no urban body has established systems for collection, segregation, transport and disposal of waste in accordance with the Municipal Solid Wastes Rules, 2000.