BMC plans green buffer zone, night control room to tackle Kanjurmarg odour

The Kanjurmarg facility spans 118.14 hectares and handles around 90% of Mumbai's daily municipal solid waste, processing about 5,200 metric tonnes per day with an additional 1,000 t/d via composting. The site has 11 misting cannon systems and regular enzyme-based odour-control spray programs. A helpline for odour complaints is in place.

The Deonar waste-to-energy project, currently around 80% complete, is expected to process nearly 600 metric tonnes of waste daily and generate around 8 megawatts of electricity. The BMC is conducting biomining operations at the site to segregate old waste, recover recyclable materials and reduce the environmental burden caused by decades of accumulated garbage.

Municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide conducted a surprise inspection of the Kanjurmarg solid-waste processing facility, the Deonar waste-to-energy plant, and a sanitation workers’ outpost in Kannamwar Nagar, Vikhroli. She reviewed operations and directed officials to create a dense green belt around the site as a buffer zone, select plant species to absorb pollutants and reduce odour, and establish a dedicated night-time control room to monitor conditions from 1 am to 6 am. She also ordered intensified spraying of odour-control chemicals on freshly dumped waste, strengthened real-time air quality monitoring with teams including BMC staff, contractors, and MPCB personnel, and the installation of a continuous air-quality monitoring station with public display. An action plan was asked to shift recycling and processing activities into the buffer zone and convert portions of the project area into green cover. Officials were instructed to publish air-quality data on the BMC website and to formulate a city-wide 'green fencing' policy to protect residential areas.

The Bombay High Court warned the BMC and the Maharashtra government that it would order the closure of the Kanjurmarg dumping ground if immediate steps were not taken to curb pollution and hazardous methane emissions. The court criticized a 'casual approach' to monitoring and directed officials to convey the seriousness of the matter to senior administrative officers.