Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday inaugurated a biogas plant with a processing capacity of 200 metric tonnes per day at Goyla Dairy in the Najafgarh area.
Built at a cost of Rs 16 crore by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the plant will play an important role in the scientific processing of cow dung, the production of clean fuel and environmental protection. It will help prevent cow dung from flowing into the Yamuna through drains, improve sanitation in the area and increase the income of livestock owners. Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood, Delhi Mayor Pravesh Wahi, Deputy Mayor Dr Monika Pant, MLA Sandeep Sehrawat, representatives associated with the project and other dignitaries were present on the occasion. Three biogas plants operational in 18 months; work underway on six more. According to Rekha Gupta, no biogas plant was set up in Delhi for years, leaving the problem of proper cow dung management unresolved. The present Government has started operations at three biogas plants in the past 18 months, while work is underway to establish six more.
She said the Nangli Sakrawati plant had used 55,000 tonnes of cow dung in one year, for which farmers had been paid Rs 3.5 crore. The Chief Minister said Rs 50 crore had been allocated to construct drains and improve drainage systems in Delhi’s dairy colonies.
“The biogas plant at Goyla Dairy is an important step towards translating this vision into action. Instead of allowing cow dung to flow into drains, converting it into clean fuel and organic fertiliser demonstrates the effective use of resources,” she said.
“Around 200 metric tonnes of cow dung are generated every day in the Goyla Dairy area. Without proper disposal arrangements, there is a risk of increased pollution as the waste enters the Yamuna through drains. To address this problem, the plant will process 200 metric tonnes of cow dung daily to produce biogas and compressed biogas. It is expected to generate around 14,000 cubic metres of raw biogas and approximately 5.6 tonnes of purified compressed biogas every day. The gas will be supplied to Indraprastha Gas Limited through a pipeline,” according to a press statement by the chief minister’s office.
“The biogas slurry left after processing will be used as organic fertiliser, helping improve soil fertility,” it said.
Under the project, the agency will collect cow dung from dairy operators at a rate of 67 paise per kilogram. This will help reduce the burden of waste disposal while turning cow dung into an economically useful resource.