Aafrin Kidwai 
Over six years after disposal of the ‘legacy’ waste of 4 lakh tonne solid waste at landfill site Nakravadi was halted, the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) has resumed work. The disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated by Rajkot city was stopped abruptly in December 2013 after the agency assigned the job backed out. The RMC was only able to appoint the second agency after three years of efforts but that agency also failed to resume work.
Finally, on Thursday, the third agency appointed by the civic body began clearing the MSW from the landfill site spread across 6 acres. Sources said that garbage heap, over the years, had grown to the size of a six-floor building. The Times of India reports that a waste segregation machine has been installed and from plastic waste, Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) will be generated. The fuel will be used to run the waste-to-energy power plant that will produce 14MW electricity. The power will be supplied to the state-run power distributor Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Ltd (PGVCL).
The waste-to-energy plant at Nakaravadi was inaugurated last month. The waste collection at Nakaravadi over the years had created health issues for surrounding villages. A new landfill site has been made about 100 meters from the old site in 15 acre land.
Picture Credit: Trinidade, Rajkot – Aji River Overview, CC BY-SA 4.0
