Aafrin Kidwai 
Kolkata has proposed to introduce biomining for the first time in the city to tackle its Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) problem. The project will be undertaken at the Mollar Bheri dumping ground.
A portion of Mollar Bheri, located within the East Kolkata Wetlands was being used by Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) as a dumping ground. The biomining proposal thus raises hope of restoration of the wetlands to some extent.
As per Citizen Matters, the current initiative by the government comes in the wake of a National Green Tribunal (NGT) Order. In August 2019, the NGT had fined the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Rs 10 lakh for failing to comply with the Tribunal’s earlier order of cordoning off the garbage dump area at Mollar Bheri to stop polluting leachate from contaminating the water bodies around.
Picture Credit: Biswarup Ganguly, Sector-V Saltlake – Kolkata 7809, CC BY 3.0
