72 nations to adopt Swachh city’s biomethanation model

Indore: In Swachhta, Indore leads rest of the world follows. Seventy two Asian and African countries are now replicating city’s bio-methanation model for treatment of wet waste into bio-CNG.
A resolution in this regard was passed in a conference of International Forum for Sustainable Asia and Pacific held recently in Tokyo. The conference was hosted jointly by United Nations (Asia Pacific Region) and government of Japan on Sustainable Technologies.
Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC)’s waste management consultant Asad Warsi was invited as a technical expert to give a presentation about technical features of biomethanation plant that was set up in Indore for producing bio-CNG out of wet waste generated in city daily.
“A resolution has been passed by UN and it has been decided that the model of Indore’s biomethanation plant will be replicated in about 72 countries of Asia Pacific Region, which will include 52 Asian countries and 20 African countries,” Warsi told TOI. Countries like Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Japan, Malaysia, Iraq, Maldives, Oman, South Korea are on the list. Warsi said that at least one biomethanation plant with 50 tonne capacity each would be set up in each of these countries by United Nations with help of the government of Japan. “Later, it would be up to the respective country to replicate the model,” he said.
Detailing about major features that prompted the international forum to pass the resolution, Warsi said that Indore’s biomethanation model was found to be one of the most sustainable, cost effective zero waste model for wet waste management. Besides, its operation and monitoring are also foolproof.
“Indore’s biomethanation plant was found to be the most sustainable and suitable model to be introduced in countries with need of cost effective technologies,” he said. IMC currently has two biomethanation plants in city including one at Choithram Mandi and the other at Kabitkhedi.
Around 35 tonne wet waste is treated daily at these two facilities and more than 1300kg bio-CNG is produced every day. This bio-CNG is used to run city buses.