Kannur: The Kerala government on Wednesday approved setting up a compressed biogas plant project by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) with an aim to find a permanent solution to the organic waste issue in the state’s commercial hub Kochi.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan amid his ongoing visit to North Thalassery as part of the ‘Nava Kerala’ outreach programme, a statement from the CMO here said.
For the project, 10 acres of land in Brahmapuram owned by Kochi Corporation will be handed over to BPCL.
A treatment plant capable of treating 150 metric tonnes of waste per day will be set up on this land and the compressed biogas produced there will be used by the central PSU.
It said the construction cost is estimated to be Rs 150 crore, which will be borne by BPCL.
The CMO statement further said that the water and power required for the construction of the plant will be provided at low cost.
It said the organic fertilizer produced at the plant will be made available to farmers and only clean water will be released after treating the waste water generated at the facility.
Clean Kerala Company will acquire the inorganic waste left after processing and dispose of it.
The biogas treatment plant is expected to solve the problem of organic waste in Kochi, which has a population of over seven lakh people and 1.61 lakh households. The statement said the project will be completed in 15 months.
The state cabinet took the important decision, months after a massive fire broke out at the Brahmapuram dump site in the port city, exposing outdated waste management practices.
The CMO statement said other decisions included providing an incentive of Rs 1000 per day to 387 civil defense volunteers involved in fire fighting operations at the Brahmapuram effluent treatment plant.
