the goan I network
PANAJI
The Corporation of City of Panaji will soon set up three biogas plants of 30 tonnes per day (TPD) capacity at three locations.
Biogas generation, purification and compressed biomethane (CBM) bottling will be done in the plants.
Biodegradable wet waste generated from hotels, restaurants, households, market etc. will be utilised in these plants to produce compressed biomethane. The manure will be sold for making profits.
The CCP has decided to install such plants near Heera petrol pump, CCP market and Tonca area adjacent to the sewage treatment plant.
A few days back in the CCP councillors’ meeting a resolution was passed to set up such plants. Patto area near the LIC was one of the proposed sites for the plant, but it was dropped after corporators objected and instead the Tonca site was chosen.
At the Heera Petrol pump and CCP market sites, composting activity is already going on while the Tonca site will be a greenfield (new) site.
The plants will be based on design, build, finance, operate and transfer basis (DBFOT) basis for 15 years. The capital cost of the project will be shared equally (50 per cent) between the agency and the CCP. The CCP will pay the cost in instalments after commissioning of the plants.
The CCP has invited expression of interest from agencies to build such plants.
It may be noted that estimated solid waste generation in Panaji area is 50 tonnes per day, out of which 28 TPD is biodegradable (organic) waste, 9 TPD is garden and horticulture waste, 7 TPD is non-biodegradable (dry) waste and 6 TPD of littered mixed waste.
The CCP is also trying to treat the waste with the help of three centralized composting facilities (12.5 TPD capacity in all), 72 decentralized composting stations (1.5 TPD aggregated capacity), 12 zonal sorting units, and one material recovery facility (with a 7 TPD capacity).
However, owing to increasing quantities of biodegradable (organic) waste, the handling capacities at the three centralized plants are often found stressed.
Presently, the city is struggling with the management of wet garbage. As the Saligao treatment plant is overloaded, the authorities now and again refuse to accept wet garbage from Panaji.
Meanwhile, the CCP has also decided to repair the dry waste sorting in ward 1 to 15, EDC Patto, national theatre and Mala Lake areas. The CCP has also decided to repair the roof of the composting unit in Panaji which has been damaged.
