The next energy plant which can recycle all waste and rubbish produced in Yangon will be built after calling for tenders, according to Dr Aung Myint Maw, Assistant Chief Engineer, Pollution Control and Cleansing Department of Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC).
The cost for building the plant was equally shared by both governments while the technology was provided by Japan.
The first waste-to-energy plant produces 700 kilowatt per hour by burning 60 of 72 tonnes of waste in Mingaladon township.
“A tender might be called by December this year,” said Dr Aung Myint Maw.
About 2500 tons of waste are produced per day in Yangon. The waste is collected from the whole of the region and sent to dumps in Mingaladon, Hlaing Tharyar, Shwe Pyi Thar, Dala, North Dagon, and Seikgyi Kanaungto townships.
The next waste-to-energy plants will be run by using waste in the dumps in the townships, so they will be built within their locations.
But in which townships the next plants will be built has not been determined yet.
“We are still planning for the tender. Since the companies will be chosen on their ability to comply with our rules and regulations, we still cannot say in which townships the plants will be built and how many plants will be built,” said Dr Aung Myint Maw.
Dr Aung Myint Maw said that in other countries, waste is collected and divided into categories such as wet or dry waste and are sanitised by cleaning to prevent soil, air and water pollution.
“But in Myanmar, we cannot do the cleaning or dividing into categories yet. If we do that, I think that in the next four or five years, there will be no land to dump waste in Yangon,” he said .
“Only if we have waste-to-energy plants and reduce environmental pollution in the rubbish dumps, will we be able to use the areas for the next 20 or 30 years,“ said U Aung Myint Maw.
The air pollution caused by the rubbish will decrease because of the waste-to-energy plants, he said, adding that they will not only produce electricity but also reduce the land needed for rubbish dumps.
The tender requirements for the next waste-to-energy plants in Yangon are being drawn up, according to Dr Aung Myint Maw.
Myanmar’s first waste-to-energy plant, which started operations in April this year, was built through a joint effort between the Myanmar and Japanese governments.
Source: Myanmar Times
