The Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) is planning to acquire its own bio-mining machines to accelerate the clearance of legacy waste in Hubballi and Dharwad. Officials are currently discussing the proposal and preparing an action plan to submit to the state government.
Current Waste Clearance Status
At present, an outsourced agency appointed by the state government is responsible for removing legacy waste from garbage dump yards in both cities. The agency was assigned the task based on a survey conducted in 2019-20, and the actual clearance process began only in 2024.
A recent survey conducted in March 2026 revealed that, apart from the already allocated quantity, over 15 lakh tonnes of legacy waste still remains in the two dump yards. This large volume has prompted HDMC to consider procuring its own bio-mining machines instead of relying solely on the outsourced agency.
Cost and Efficiency
The current outsourced arrangement costs Rs 30 crore to clear 4.8 lakh tonnes of legacy waste, which includes 3.60 lakh tonnes in Hubballi and 1.2 lakh tonnes in Dharwad. HDMC believes that owning bio-mining machines will speed up operations and provide better control over the daily handling and disposal of legacy waste from the dumping yards.
Officials stated that the procurement plan is being developed alongside an assessment of the remaining waste and the need for faster clearance. The action plan for the government is expected to outline machinery requirements, implementation strategy, and how the work will proceed in the coming period.
In-House Capacity Building
HDMC has been monitoring the progress of legacy waste clearance since operations began in 2024. The latest survey figures have underscored the need to build stronger in-house capacity to handle the remaining waste. Santosh Kumar Yarangali, Executive Engineer in the SWM department of HDMC, confirmed that discussions are underway to procure four bio-mining machines to expedite the clearance.
He added that the agency assigned for the work has completed clearance in Dharwad and achieved around 85% in Hubballi. The remaining waste still needs to be cleared, and HDMC plans to procure its own machines to complete the legacy waste removal work by 2028.
