After Air India crash, BMC likely to expedite upgrading Versova waste facility to curb bird-hit risks
An RTS is a waste processing site that serves for the temporary deposition and aggregation of solid waste. There are four RTS facilities in Mumbai, at Mahalaxmi, Kurla, Versova and Gorai. Civic officials said that solid waste from the municipal wards is being brought to these facilities, where they are dumped before being transported to the landfill in Deonar and Kanjurmarg's waste processing facility.
These facilities are open land parcels that receive an average of 400 metric tonnes (MT) to 800 MT volume of waste daily. The waste is usually stacked in open piles before it is transported in trucks and dumpers, as a result of which these facilities attract birds like crows and vultures, which usually hover at a lower altitude, often posing a risk to aircraft.
'The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and airport authorities have been holding frequent meetings on this matter with an emphasis being made to ensure the solid waste that lies there is cleared in a way so that it does not attract any birds,' a senior civic official told The Indian Express on Friday.
The Versova RTS is located 8 km from the Mumbai airport and is spread over an 8,000 square metre area and handles an average of 400-450 MT of solid waste daily.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines mandate that open landfills should be set up at a minimum 20 km distance (10 km in special cases) from airports and airbases.
'However, there is no such…criteria applicable for setting up waste processing facilities,' read the CPCB guidelines published in 2019.
'Considering the Versova RTS is closest to the airport, we have mooted a proposal to upgrade the facility. As part of the modernisation approach, the entire land parcel will be covered with nets, and roofs will be erected to prevent birds from flocking there. We will also introduce a system of making this place odour-free, considering there are residential buildings nearby,' the official added.
Civic officials said that the upgrade plan is in the final stages, and once a detailed project report (DPR) is approved, the BMC will float a tender for upgrading the Versova RTS. In 2023, the civic body floated the Expressions of Interest (EoI) to upgrade two RTS facilities located at Mahalaxmi and Gorai.
Meanwhile, aviation experts have shared concerns about having landfills and waste facility centres close to airports. 'Birds are hazardous to aircraft safety. When a bird hits the wing of the aircraft, it creates a dent, causing a stability problem. If a bird accidentally enters one of the engines, it fails substantially,' Vipul Saxena, an aviation expert, told The Indian Express.
'The Indian Aircraft Rules, 1937, clearly mentions that setting up facilities like meat shops, fishing facilities, etc., should be prohibited around an airport since these attract birds which pose a risk to aircraft. Therefore, municipal bodies should ensure that these compliances are implemented at the ground level,' Saxena added.
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