Mechanical waste treatment plant too expensive to build

BUILDING mechanical waste treatment plants is quiet expensive, says Eda Ranu managing Henry Mokono.
He said the company did not have any plans to build mechanical waste treatment plants in Port Moresby.
This was because they were very expensive and the company did not have the money to build such plants.
“The natural way of treating waste water and sewerage sludge, using waste stabilisation ponds, are widely used across the world because they are very cheap and, of course, very effective,” Mokono said.
“They are used in Australia, New Zealand and other countries around the world.
“The pond uses light and energy from the sun, with oxygen from the air and micro-organisms, to decompose the wastes naturally to acceptable chemical specifications before being discharged into the environment.
“When looking at the mechanical sewerage treatment plant that is being constructed under a loan arrangement between the government and the Japanese government, it costs around K300 million-plus.
“That sewerage plant at Sabama would cater for only one-quarter of the wastes produced in the city.
“Morata, Waigani and Gerehu waste treatment ponds cater for three-quarters of the city’s waste.
“We would need US$500 million (K1.6 billion) to build one here at Morata.
“It’s indeed very expensive, but the natural way of treating wastes using ponds is the cheapest and is used all over the world.