'Biogas plants the best alternative for Mumbai'

Mumbai, Jun 16: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Jayraj Phatak said the biggest concern of BMC is the mounting expenditure on transportation of water and solid wastes.

He was speaking to research scholars and members of the scientific fraternity at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) after inaugurating the Nisargruna Biogas plant on the TIFR campus last evening.

Advocating the benefits of biogas plants across the city, the commissioner pointed out that it would be difficult for the civic body to set up targets to its wards for the construction of Biogas plants due to reasons of financial viability.

He urged that organisations and residential societies should take active initiatives to set up Biogas plants in their respective localities, which to an extent will reduce pollution levels and solid wastes in the city, paving way for a healthy environment.

Dr Phatak reminded that if people are ready to switch to Biogas, than large tracts of government land can be spared from turning into dumping grounds creating environmental pollution, similar to the recent reports of gases emanating at the Goregaon Information Technology Park, which was once a dumping ground.

Built by the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre, the Nisargruna plant can process only segregated biodegradable wastes in aerobic and anaerobic digesters, which are connected serially.

The two by-products methane and organic manure make Nisargruna economically viable and sustainable as an alternative by recycling and reusing segregated solid wastes.

UNI