The compressed biogas (CBG) plant at Brahmapuram will be commissioned by March-end, Minister for Local Self-Government M.B. Rajesh has said.
Addressing the media at Brahmapuram, Mr. Rajesh hailed the record pace at which the plant’s work was progressing under the supervision of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). The plant can treat 150 tonnes of waste daily and produce 15 tonnes of biogas, which will be piped to the BPCL-Kochi Refinery.
Alongside the commissioning of the plant in Kochi, the construction of new plants will be initiated in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. BPCL-Kochi Refinery will set up those plants as well. Discussions are also under way to set up similar plants in Kannur, Kollam, and Changanassery.
Mr. Rajesh said the government saw the 2023 Brahmapuram fire as an opportunity to create a waste-free Kerala. “Waste piles in the plant are disappearing, with decades-old legacy waste being cleared through bio-mining. Around 75% of bio-mining has been completed as 6.08 lakh tonnes of waste have already been removed from the total 8.43 lakh tonnes, thereby reclaiming 18 acres,” he added.
The CBG plant would be built on the reclaimed site. Similarly, the master plan for the bio-park at Brahmapuram, developed jointly by the Kerala Solid Waste Management Project (KSWMP) and Suchitwa Mission, and approved by the Corporation council last week, would also be implemented in phases, the Minister said.
A campaign to remove waste is being implemented across the state. Besides Brahmapuram, the government has given a facelift to Laloor in Thrissur, Njeliyanparambu in Kozhikode, Kureeppuzha Chandi Depot in Kollam, and Shavakotta in Guruvayur, areas that were previously known for waste heaps.
Mr. Rajesh said that 24 out of the 59 waste heaps had been cleared, and land had been recovered. The process is in its final phase at ten locations, including Brahmapuram, while work has been launched at 25 places. In a few months, Kerala would be completely free of garbage heaps, Mr. Rajesh said.
The Malinyamuktha Keralam campaign has entered its final phase, with the government making every effort to complete it by March 30. Door-to-door waste collection has increased to 93.62%, while the number of Material Collection Facilities has risen from just 2 in March 2023 to 60 this year. Over Rs. 1.39 crore in fines has been collected through 2,120 inspections. A two-month-long intense campaign will be launched to eliminate the tendency of public waste dumping.
P.V. Sreenijin, MLA, Mayor M. Anilkumar, Local Self-Government special secretary T.V. Anupama, District Collector N.S.K. Umesh, and Suchitwa Mission Executive Director U.V. Jose were also present.
