Union Housing Secretary Surveys Chennai’s Waste‑Management Hub

On a breezy Saturday morning, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Satendra Singh, accompanied by Additional Chief Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi, made the rounds at four key waste‑processing sites managed by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). The purpose? To get a hands‑on feel for how the city is turning mountains of rubbish into useful resources.

The first stop was the Chetpet biogas plant, a public‑private partnership that feeds on wet waste and belches out renewable energy. Chennai churns out roughly 6,150 tonnes of waste each day – about half of it biodegradable. The Chetpet unit can handle 140 tonnes of wet waste daily, and at the time of the visit it was operating near that capacity, processing between 120 and 140 tonnes supplied by the GCC. Singh watched the feedstock being shredded, noted the bubbling digesters, and exchanged a few jokes with plant operators about “feeding the beast” that keeps the lights on.

Next, the delegation headed to Koyambedu’s tertiary sewage‑treatment plant, where reverse‑osmosis (RO) membranes work overtime to purify water. The plant’s design capacity is 45 million litres per day, and together with a sister unit it treats a combined 90 million litres, feeding reclaimed water back into Chennai’s supply network. Singh asked about the energy footprint of the RO process and was reassured that the plant taps into the biogas generated at Chetpet, creating a neat loop of sustainability.

From there, the team swung by an electric‑three‑wheeler workshop – the humble garage where garbage‑collecting e‑vehicles are serviced and re‑charged. The move reflects the city’s push to electrify its waste‑collection fleet, cutting down on diesel fumes. Singh inspected the charging bays, chatted with mechanics about battery life, and gave a thumbs‑up to the growing number of silent, zero‑emission rickshaws humming around the streets.

The final and perhaps most gritty stop was the sprawling Kodungaiyur dump yard. Covering 333 acres, the site still holds waste on over 252 acres, but a massive ₹641‑crore reclamation project is underway. The work is split into six packages; so far six acres have been reclaimed, turning once‑waste‑laden ground into usable land. Singh toured the biomining area where old waste is being excavated and processed, noting the progress while reminding officials of the long‑term vision for a cleaner, greener Chennai.

Throughout the day, officials from the GCC and the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board joined the inspections, fielding questions and sharing data. The visits underscored the city’s ambition: to divert waste from landfills, generate energy, and recycle water – all while keeping an eye on the financial and environmental numbers.

In a nutshell, the tour painted a picture of a city in transition, where old challenges are meeting new technologies. Singh left with a sense that, while there’s still a lot of work ahead, Chennai is nudging steadily toward a more sustainable future.