Bangalores recent garbage crisis has perhaps come as a wake-up call for major civic agencies in the State.

Mysore is among the cities which generate the highest amount of solid waste daily. Thanks to rapid urbanisation, Mysore currently produces over 435 tonnes of solid waste daily. It is a big challenge for the Mysore City Corporation (MCC) to handle such huge proportions of garbage and keep the city clean. With the number of municipal wards (65 at present) likely to go up with the inclusion of several localities under the MCC limits, there will a substantial increase in waste handling for the corporation, which needs to employ more workers for the collection and disposal of waste. The quantum of waste generated is also expected to rise. Is the MCC prepared to handle the increase in solid waste generation? Is it not the right time for it to think of establishing a better mechanism for streamlining waste management? Is it not wise on its part to earn revenue out of waste as done in some Indian cities and put the money earned on developing new strategies for solid waste management? Already, the MCC has set its eyes on earning revenue from municipal waste. But, in spite of efforts made in previous years in this regard, it is yet to set an example by making it happen. A team from MCC even went to Sweden to examine the technology developed in a municipality there where waste is converted into bio-fuel for running vehicles. After earning the cleanest city tag, the corporation has set its eyes on bagging the distinction of being the countrys healthiest city (categorised green). Will it happen without scientific solutions? Mysore was classified in the blue category (recovering, but still diseased), ahead of Bangalore that has been placed in the black category (needing considerable improvement). MCC has a better chance of showing the way unlike other major civic agencies. But, why the delay? For the future Many experts had suggested streamlining solid waste management in the city to address the present and future problems arising out of increased generation of waste. Out of the 435 tonnes of solid waste being produced by Mysore, nearly 200 tonnes is handled by the treatment plant at Sewage Farm and the rest is dumped in landfills. During monsoon, rainwater which seeps into the ground gets mixed with these pollutants. This will result in contamination of borewell water, an expert argued. MCC is once again drawing up a plan to earn revenue from waste that is not recycled at the treatment plant. Like in the past, it has come up with the idea of converting waste into energy as done in cities such as Pune and Delhi. Unlike the past, it says that it is serious and will definitely make it happen. This time, the MCC is banking on technology developed in South Korea for generating electricity from waste. It is well-known that MCC unsuccessfully tried in the past to turn waste into useful resources. But, keeping in view the citys growth rate and the problems it might encounter in the coming years, the MCC is showing renewed interest in experimenting with its waste and set a model in the State. MCC Commissioner M.R. Ravi told The Hindu that the MCC is keen on converting some portion of solid waste generated into energy. This helps us to earn revenue by selling electricity produced from waste and also handle the waste effectively.

The civic body is in talks with an agency promoting renewable energy which met the Commissioner recently with a project to convert waste into energy. The technology recommended has been in operation in South Korea for many years and could be applied here, it told the MCC. All the agency needs is 100 tonnes of solid waste daily and five acres of land for establishing a plant to produce electricity from waste. The agency is prepared to set up the plant on 25-year BOOT basis and handover the asset subsequently to the corporation, according to MCC. Mr. Ravi said at least 4 MW of electricity could be generated daily from 100 tonnes of solid waste adopting an advanced version of pyrolysis technology. This technology is eco-friendly and cost-effective. Moreover, the MCC can overcome the problem of landfills as its a zero-waste treatment technology, which the MCC is looking for. The MCC had earlier shown interest in running a plant for producing Liquefied Biogas (LBG), the eco-friendly fuel, from city waste. The Eskilstuna Municipality in southeast Sweden, which has developed the technology of converting waste into biogas, had shown interest in sharing its expertise with the MCC. The municipality runs its fleet of vehicles on LBG. Agreement For this, the corporation entered into a sister city agreement with Eskilstuna Municipality. Accordingly, as part of the agreement, a team from Eskilstuna visited Mysore last year to study the feasibility of producing methanerich biogas from waste. It inspected the solid waste management plant and sewage treatment plants set up by the MCC and collected details on collection, segregation and disposal of waste, and the technology adopted for the treating the waste at the Sewage Farm. As a follow-up to the effort, the then Mayor Pushpalatha Chikkanna and Commissioner K.S. Raikar led a team from the MCC to Eskilstuna for a first-hand experience of the technology and the transport system running on eco-friendly fuel there. The MCC delegation discussed the proposal with the Swedish authorities, who agreed to assist the MCC in setting up the biogas plant in Mysore. The MCC proposed to set up the plant on the public-private partnership (PPP) model. The Eskilstuna Municipality had been producing biogas from waste for eight years now. Initially, the biogas produced from waste here would be used for running the MCCs fleet of vehicles, including waste-carrying trucks and four-wheelers, the MCC had said. But, despite these efforts and visiting Sweden to study the system, spending money from the exchequer, there was no headway in the project. Is the MCC serious to take it forward or is it looking at other alternatives? Reportedly, the Eskilstuna Municipality recently wrote to the MCC on whether its interested to take the project forward. The present commissioner confirmed that he had received the letter from the Swedish municipality. I will have to examine the project proposal before arriving at a decision. The estimated cost of establishing the LBG plant is around Rs. 50 crore. In the past, MCC had used technical expertise from the Nuclear Agriculture and Bio-technology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai for converting waste into electricity. It had then proposed to establish a 25-tonne capacity waste-to-energy plant at Kesare here and mini-plants at select wards depending on the availability of land.

The corporation submitted a detailed project report (DPR) to the Union Ministry of Urban Development, seeking funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for establishing the 25-tonne plant. The proposal was also sent to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, for its guidance. A scientist from the Nuclear Agriculture and Bio-technology Division, BARC, Mumbai, made a presentation on converting waste into energy at the MCC office a few years ago. The BARC expert and MCC officials had discussed the issue of segregating waste into biodegradable and non-degradable waste, which, according to MCC sources, was the key for converting waste into energy. The MCC also examined the model to be adopted for establishing mini-plants in the municipal wards. A publicprivate partnership (PPP) model was recommended in one ward and cost estimates were also prepared for setting up each plant. In spite of these developments, the proposal was abandoned. With an aim to bring green technologies, the MCC launched a project to convert waste into biogas. Like other green proposals, it was halted midway and now the MCC Commissioner wants to revive it. It will be functional soon, he said. The MCC is also supporting a project to convert animal waste, mainly elephant dung, into gas to cook food for animals at the century-old Mysore zoo. The project had been taken up under JNNURM which is nearing completion. Once the biogas plant starts producing gas, LPG use in the zoos kitchen will decrease by 50 per cent. On an average, 20 LPG cylinders are used in a month for cooking. By switching over to alternative fuel, the zoo will be saving money. With the idea of producing an eco-friendly and cheaper fuel for cooking, the zoo management, with the support from MCC, thought of converting animal waste into gas by setting up a biogas plant on its premises. The NIE-CREST which has expertise in setting up biogas plants is lending technical support to the MCC-zoo joint eco-friendly initiative and setting up the plant. Already, the waste generated at the zoo is converted into vermicompost. Nearly 1 to 1.5 tonnes of vermicompost is produced daily and sold at Rs. 5 per kg. The manure is sold in five kg, 25 kg, and 50 kg bags. The slurry produced from the biogas plant could be used as manure for plants. Shankar Bennur Mysore generates a huge load of garbage every day and the MCC has plans to convert it into energy

ART

Firoz Rozindar A woman in Chitradurga develops a unique hobby Chitradurga: K. Sarasvati is a woman who can see art inside any household waste material. She can transform waste plastic paper, packing materials or dry bread into an attractive piece of art. Ms. Sarasvati, who has kept her work on display at Gayatri Kalyan Mantap of the city, is drawing wide attention and praises from art admirers. In over 180 pieces of her artwork, which are on display, the artist has used these materials which are otherwise seen in a trashcan. Even with a close look, it is difficult to believe that the fascinating objects are actually made of waste plastic packing rope or dry peel of maize. Ms. Sarasvati, who has mastery over this unique art, said that she never took any formal training about the art. She said that it was a friend who inspired her by making a flower out of wrapping paper. This work made Ms. Sarasvati to take the art seriously. Although I was creating some articles, but never thought of collecting them, it was only in the late 90s I seriously began collecting as it was appreciated by many, she said. Since then she has held numerous exhibitions in many parts of the State to showcase her art. According to her, the most encouraging exhibition was one in Dharwad in 1996 when a relative advised her to display the work at their house itself. I never expected that the tentative exhibition would become so popular as many people visited the house and admired the work a lot, she said. Even while doing her daily chores, she finds time for her passion. Her husband N.V. Krishnan, who owns a bookstall here, arranges for exhibition. Ms. Sarasvati said that her husband not only arranged for events, he even helped her collect materials needed for her artwork. Among her several artwork, the interesting ones were birds and nests made of dry leaves of maize and jowar, bouquets of seashells, clothes, plastic bags, roses made of bread and dry grass. To popularise the art, she conducted training classes. The two day exhibition in Chitradurga will end on Saturday.