TNPCB finds bio-mining facility at Vellalore dumpyard in Coimbatore inadequate to handle legacy waste

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) officials have found the bio-mining facility at the Vellalore dumpyard in Coimbatore inadequate to clear legacy waste, during an inspection on November 19.

Phase II of bio-mining by the Coimbatore Corporation at the dumpyard began in March this year to process 7,94,138 tonnes of legacy waste spread over 84 acres. When the TNPCB inspected the site, 1,79,703.52 tonnes(22.6%) of the total legacy waste, had been processed.

In a communication dated November 27 to the Corporation, the TNPCB noted that the current capacity of the bio-mining facility was insufficient to accelerate the processing of legacy waste.

The board observed that fresh unsegregated waste was dumped at several locations, including near the watchtower, the Material Recovery Facility, and the railway gate outside the dumpyard premises, resulting in odour spreading across parts of the city.

Of the 1,100 tonnes of waste generated daily, about 990 tonnes were processed at the dumpyard, while roughly 110 tonnes continued to be dumped every day.

Chicken waste was reported to be dumped in open earth pits, periodically covered with soil, with the top layer removed to accommodate fresh waste.

The communication also included specific recommendations, including instruction to not bring unsegregated fresh waste to the bio-mining site.

The Coimbatore Integrated Waste Management Company Pvt. Ltd., which handles around 600 tonnes of segregated municipal solid waste per day, was asked to improve operations to ensure immediate processing of fresh waste without accumulation.

Chicken waste must be cleared immediately to prevent groundwater contamination. The Corporation was also asked to appoint a nodal officer to update TNPCB on daily waste processing and submit compliance and action-taken reports.

The civic body officials said that Phase II of bio-mining is expected to clear 7.9 lakh tonnes of legacy waste by October 2026. They also proposed increasing the bio-mining capacity to 1,500 tonnes per day by installing additional equipment. Officials added that chicken waste brought to the site is loaded onto large trucks and transported to processing units outside Coimbatore.