Thiruvananthapuram: Lens on decentralised waste

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As part of its efforts to enforce solid waste management rules, 2016 in the state, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board has decided to assess the ‘Ente Nagaram, Sundara Nagaram’/ ‘My City, Beautiful City’ (decentralised waste management project) taken up by the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.  

The National Green Tribunal  (NGT) has pulled up the civic body for not having a centralised plant for treating waste leading to severe pollution of Karamana River and other water bodies. “We will verify and monitor the performance of the kitchen bins, aerobic pines, pipe composts and other treatment methods taken up by the Corporation. We will be developing a sampling pattern for evaluating the units. Random houses and aerobic bins would be assessed in the coming days. We will be giving the report to the state government,” PCB chairman Ajit Haridas told this newspaper. He said that the Corporation should take immediate steps to set up Centralised waste treatment plants, biomedical waste treatment plant, sanitary landfills and start door-to-door waste collection.

“Installing kitchen bins/ pipe compost units should only be an option for a resident. Door-to-door waste collection is a must as per the rules,” Mr Ajit Haridas said.

According to PCB official, every local body should implement the solid waste management rule 2016.  “The rule came into effect in 2016 and every local body across the nation is bound to follow the rule. If the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation doesn’t want to implement, they should take it up with the Centre and bring amendments in the rule,” he added.

However, the city corporation is not very keen on setting up a centralised plant in the state capital. Mayor V.K. Prasanth said that the decentralised waste management initiative of the civic body has received several accolades. “We have formed an NGT order implementing committee comprising experts from the field and other departments. We are effectively managing municipal waste. There is a trained service team to provide assistance to each household having kitchen bin or pipe compost. We have a calendar for waste collection. The PCB hasn’t enforced the rule in any of the cities in the state. There is no model centralised waste treatment plant in the state,” said the Mayor.