Mayor suggests upgrade of equipment in KCDC plant

While inspecting the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC) in Kudlu Gate in the Bommanahalli Assembly constituency, Mayor Gowtham Kumar has asked BBMP officials to upgrade the equipment for better treatment capacity.

The mayor's visit to the waste treatment facility comes days after he flew to Indore and Delhi to understand waste treatment methods in those cities. The mayor asked for the upgrade of equipment while observing the treatment process at the plant.

The Palike’s solid waste management (SWM) officials told Kumar that compost from the plant is being sold to local farmers. They also told him that the Palike generated Rs 40 lakh in 2018-19 and Rs 34 lakh till the middle of the 2019-20 financial year. The mayor told officials to sell the compost to the agriculture department.

Inspecting the leachate stock at the plant, he asked officials to take steps to ensure that the leachate does not flow outside. Officials told him the leachate produced at the plant is sent to the sewage treatment plant set up by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) in Kadubeesanahalli.

Speaking after the inspection, Kumar said the BBMP is taking all steps to end the city’s garbage menace. "In a bid to improve our waste treatment, we visited Indore and their waste management methods will be implemented here soon," he added. "Also, the expert committee from Indore will be visiting the city on November 25 to study the waste treatment here."

He said the BBMP has been maintaining the KCDC plant for the past three years. The plant was set up in a 30-acre area in 1975. "It has the capacity to treat 500 metric tonnes of waste a day. While the BBMP treats about 80 to 100 tonnes, the remaining waste, like plastic, is being sent to cement factories."

On Wednesday morning, Kumar met a team of scholars from Sweden to discuss the education system, population, administration and social security schemes for the poor.