AMC gears up to start 30 KLD Leachate Treatment Plant at Padegaon

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad, Dec 13:

If all goes well, the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has geared up to establish its first Leachate Treatment Plant (LTP), of 30 kilolitres per day (KLD) capacity, at Padegaon, through 15th Finance Commission funds, from the new year. A quantity of 15,000 litres of treated water (after treatment) is expected to be obtained daily!

The deputy commissioner Saurabh Joshi said," The AMC has invited tender from competent agency to operate LTP of 30 KLD. The technical formalities will be completed by the end of this month and the operations of LTP will start from next year. This is our first LTP and we are establishing it on the directives of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). Moreover, as per the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, the AMC had already constructed the leachate storage tanks of 45 lakh litres and 25 lakh litres capacity on the campus of the garbage processing plant at Padegaon and Chikalthana respectively. Hence, we are inching towards advancement through starting the LTP."

Generation of 10KLD leachate daily

The AMC's two garbage plants having a capacity of processing 150 metric tones (MT) each are at Chikalthana and Padegaon. Presently, the leachate is stored in the collection tanks built on site. Later on, the black sludge collected is transported from Chikalthana to Zhalta Phata Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and from Padegaon to Kanchanwadi STP. The transportation is being done through suction tankers on a daily basis for the past one year. Each plant record 4-5 trips of tankers daily. The generation of leachate at each plant is 10 KLD, but the quantity increases to 30-40 KLD during rainy season.

According to a civic official, " The scientific output (water) after treatment of leachate solely depends upon moisture and liquid content in the solid waste. However, it is hoped that at least 15,000 litres of water could be produced at this LTP daily. There would be a generation of effluent, compost as well as treated water, which will be utilised either for maintaining gardens or spraying on post-processed garbage waste (to reduce its temperature). The spraying of leachate on the heaps of garbage (to be processed) also speeds up the decomposition and processing speedily. The treated water could not be used for construction purpose."

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Leachate a challenge for AMC

According to sources, " The generation of leachate is a problem for the solid waste (MSW) landfills and is a significant threat to surface water and groundwater during monsoon. Leachate is a black, foul-smelling toxic liquid emanating from rotting garbage (lying on campus of processing plant). The liquid has fungus and bacteria in it and also harmful chemicals. It gets accumulated at the bottom of the heaps of garbage and percolates down through the soil contaminating the groundwater as well as the surface water. The seepage is severe in the monsoon season. The contamination of groundwater resources poses a substantial risk to local resource users and to the natural environment. Hence the on-site treatment of leachate is a wise decision of the AMC."

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Fear of losses due to leachate?

Meanwhile, the farmers staying in the neighbourhood of Chikalthana Plant had alleged that their standing crops are being withered due to overflowing of untreated leachate in monsoon, while the residents staying in localities around Padegaon

expressed threat of pollution in underground and surface water due to mixture of leachate in monsoon. However, the civic authorities denied the claims saying our leachate storage tanks are open to the sky. They are of adequate capacity and evaporation is also a constant process.