Corp to drop Mangalapuram BPCL-linked CBG plant plan

Thiruvananthapuram: The city corporation is set to abandon the proposed compressed biogas (CBG) plant at Mangalapuram, signalling a major shift in the capital's waste management policy. Civic authorities have decided to press ahead with the decentralised waste management model, which officials say has considerably improved waste treatment and source-level segregation across the city. The CBG plant was proposed by the previous LDF govt and the then LDF-led corporation council as part of a public-private partnership with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL). The facility was to be built on a 15-acre plot formerly owned by English Indian Clays Ltd at Koppam in Mangalapuram, on the city's outskirts. The govt had intended to replicate the Brahmapuram model in Kochi, where BPCL commissioned Kerala's first large-scale CBG plant to process biodegradable waste into compressed biogas and organic manure. The proposal, however, met with strong resistance from local residents and environmental activists in Mangalapuram, who feared pollution and health hazards similar to those linked to the now-defunct Vilappilshala waste treatment plant, shut down years ago following widespread protests. The Mangalapuram grama panchayat also opposed the project and called for its relocation away from residential areas. Corporation health standing committee chairman M R Gopan said that the civic body has taken a policy decision against setting up any large centralised waste treatment plant within the city. "The decentralised model has yielded better results than expected. We have substantially reduced the quantity of waste transported to treatment centres through source-level processing, household biogas plants, material collection facilities and community-level treatment units. Under present circumstances, there is no proposal before the corporation to proceed with a centralised CBG plant at Mangalapuram," Gopan said. He added that the corporation would instead invest in smaller, scientifically managed systems. "We need micro-level waste treatment infrastructure that functions without inconveniencing residents. The Muttathara sewage treatment plant is a good example of how smaller facilities can operate efficiently in urban areas. The corporation's policy is clear, no large dump-yard-based system or massive waste processing plant within the city," he said. A health official said decentralised waste management had reduced both transportation costs and public opposition. "The city has strengthened ward-level systems, aerobic bins, community composting units and material recovery facilities over the last few years. The focus is now on processing waste where it is generated. The success of source segregation and Haritha Karma Sena collection systems has also reduced dependency on large centralised projects," the official said.The Mangalapuram plant was designed to process 100 to 200 tonnes of biodegradable waste daily.