The Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday sought to convert Kochi’s mounting organic waste problem into a civic advantage by engaging the public sector Bharath Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to construct an industrial-level compressed biogas plant that would turn tonnes of biodegradable refuse from households, hotels, marriage auditoriums and markets into valuable energy and nutrient-rich fertilizer sludge.
The plant would come up on 10 acres of the municipal Corporation land at Brahmapuram. The Kerala government would hand over the public property to the BPCL.
The Cabinet pegged the proposed plant’s daily processing capacity at 150 tonnes. The BPCL would underwrite the entire cost of the ₹150-crore project.
The government would supply power and water to the plant at a subsidised rate. The BPCL would complete the scheme in 15 months. Kochi has a population of an estimated 7 lakh and nearly 1,61,000 dwellings.
Mixed results
The city has wrestled with the problem of scientifically disposing of rotting organic waste with mixed results. Household and residential-level compost programmes are yet to effectively help the city manage its organic waste problem. Rotting waste dumped at public places and drains has proved to be a health and environmental hazard.
The Cabinet, which met at Thalassery in Kannur district, resolved to address the issue expeditiously.
