The crisis has deepened after extraction of legacy waste at the site came to a halt following the termination of the contract of the private agency engaged for the work
Kolkata : The Dhapa dumping ground on the eastern fringe of Kolkata is at a tipping point, with legacy waste breaching the 1-crore tonne mark and civic officials warning that the overburdened mounds could collapse, posing a serious threat to hundreds of people living in the wetlands under its shadow. The agency, appointed in 2020 with a 2023 deadline, failed to complete the Herculean task on time, prompting Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to suspend the arrangement. The civic body has also been asked to accommodate an additional 300 tonnes from Howrah, further increasing the load.
A disaster much bigger than the Belgachhia dumping ground fiasco in Howrah could happen at Dhapa if urgent steps are not taken,” another civic official said. The crisis has deepened after extraction of legacy waste at the site came to a halt following the termination of the contract of the private agency engaged for the work. “The dumping ground is on the verge of collapse. A fresh reminder was sent to state govt after the Belgachhia incident in Howrah. Civic engineers have since prepared a vulnerability report on Dhapa and stressed the need for immediate construction of additional landfill and recycling infrastructure.
KMC had earlier sent an SOS to Nabanna, warning that the overloaded waste mounds at Dhapa could give way.