During a panel discussion organised by Waatavaran Foundation, citizens and waste
management experts expressed their opposition to the Brihanmumbai Municipal
Corporation’s (BMC) proposal to establish a waste-to-energy (W2E) plant at
Deonar dumping ground in Mumbai.
The plant will be capable of processing up to 600 mt waste per day, with the goal
of recycling it to generate at least 17 million units of energy annually. The project
received approval from the Union Ministry’s Department of Environment Forest
and Climate Change in January 2022, and the state government modified the land
reservation for the proposed plant in April of the same year. After having issued a
work order, BMC has made only 10 percent progress in the past year.
In contrast to the BMC’s centralised approach to waste management, residents and
experts argue for decentralisation, emphasising the need for waste segregation at
the source.
Dr. Arun Sawant, Director of the Waste-to-Energy Research and Technology
Council in India, suggested composting as a more feasible alternative to the
project. He stated that if all the waste generated in Mumbai were composted, it
could produce energy equivalent to that generated by 20 nuclear plants. He also
highlighted the lack of norms governing W2E facilities in India and the negative
impact of centralised dumping grounds on nearby residents’ health.
The discussion revealed growing concerns among citizens and experts about the
environmental and health impacts of the proposed W2E plant, pushing for more
sustainable and decentralised waste management solutions for Mumbai.
