Tirumala Temple And Its Growing Challenge Of Waste Management

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams is confronting a significant and escalating challenge in managing the solid waste generated by the millions of pilgrims who visit the hill shrine annually. 

The magnitude of the problem was the central focus of a review meeting on solid waste management, held today by TTD Executive Officer J Syamala Rao and Additional EO Ch Venkaiah Chowdary.

For years, the TTD has struggled with the sheer volume of waste, particularly due to the daily influx of 60,000-80,000 devotees, which can swell to over one lakh during peak seasons. This has resulted in a mounting crisis, with tens of thousands of metric tonnes of unprocessed wet, and dry waste having accumulated at facilities near the Gogarbham Dam.

Reports from earlier this year indicated that over 86,000 MT of waste was lying untreated, a result of failed contracts, inadequate infrastructure, and operational inefficiencies.

In a renewed effort to tackle the crisis, the TTD has been exploring new strategies. The review meeting highlighted a critical initiative to convert waste into energy, with the establishment of a bio-gas plant in a 50:50 cost-sharing partnership with IOCL. The plant aims to produce bio-gas and manure from the significant amount of wet waste generated in Tirumala.

Recognising the need for a more comprehensive and sustainable approach, the TTD EO instructed officials to find an "innovative, segregation-free, efficient and viable solid waste management solution". This points to a shift away from traditional, labour-intensive segregation methods, which have proven to be a bottleneck in the past.

A key participant in the meeting was renowned scientist Padma Shri Sharad Khale, who offered his expertise on the matter. He underscored the potential of utilising biodegradable waste as an input for producing biogas, an eco-friendly solution that could be a game-changer for TTD.

Dr Khale's practical demonstration of preparing bio-manure from vegetable waste at a household level served as a tangible example of the innovative approaches being considered. He has committed to developing a feasible plan tailored to the unique needs of the TTD.

The presence of other experts, including scientists Sandip Asolekar and Bhau Nipurte, points to a multi-disciplinary approach the Devasthanam is taking to address a decades-old issue and ensure the ecological sanctity of the sacred hill shrine.