Guwahati's only waste plant set to fully operate by October

According to Mrigen Sarania, the mayor of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), the plant is nearing completion and is already partially operational, processing garbage to produce manure. With a population of approximately 13 lakh, the city generates about 700 tonne of garbage daily. The mayor noted that solid waste management has seen improvements in recent years due to various government initiatives.

The dumping site was relocated to East Boragaon following public opposition at the Thermal Power Complex in Chandrapur in June 2022. The site had initially been moved from West Boragaon in 2021, based on a 2019 National Green Tribunal order. The West Boragaon site had been used by the civic body for 13 years starting in 2008. The mayor mentioned that around 4 lakh MT of the approximately 12 lakh MT of legacy waste from West Boragaon has been cleared and converted into manure.

Despite this progress, plastic waste management continues to be a major issue for the GMC, as the civic body faces challenges in collecting plastic waste. The mayor indicated that the GMC is developing a system to better collect and utilise the city's plastic waste. The manure produced from the garbage is distributed to nurseries and various companies, including cement manufacturers.

Additionally, the mayor disclosed plans to establish more garbage transfer stations in the city. These stations function as storage and segregation points for garbage collected through door-to-door services before it is transported to the solid waste management plant site at Belor Tol in East Boragaon. The city currently has four such stations at Chabipul, Sundarpur, Satgaon, and Adabari. Plans are underway to set up additional stations at locations such as near Guwahati Old Jail at Fancy Bazar, near Purabi Dairy at Sixmile, and Mathgharia. These stations assist in segregating the garbage, according to the mayor.