Aafrin Kidwai 
View of Western Ghats near Lonavala, a popular tourist destination near Mumbai
Lonavla, the popular hill-station near Mumbai, has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it will treat legacy waste within the next few months.
As per an affidavit filed by the Lonavla Municipal Council before the NGT, a municipal solid waste (MSW) plant at Varsoli is in operation since October 2018.
The total MSW generation of the Lonavla city is about 40 MT per day. Out of this, 18 MT is wet waste and the balance is dry waste which is treated by a segregator in the Varsoli plant. At the site, the wet waste of 5 MT is treated through a biogas plant. The gas generated from the same is used for lighting. Another 2 MT is treated by pit composting plants with culture. For the dry waste, the recycled material is picked up by rag pickers. The area is designated as a landfill for inert material.
There is 144000 MT legacy waste at the site, of which 45000 MT has been treated. The remainder is in process. Within a period of about three to six months, the same will also be treated, the affidavit stated.
Picture Credit: Arjun Singh Kulkarni, Lonavalamh, CC BY-SA 2.0
