Andhra Pradesh: Officials Launch Swacha Sundara Initiative

 Visakhapatnam: In association with the Swachha Andhra Corporation, the Parvathipuram Manyam district administration conducted a workshop on sustainable waste management at the Government Junior College on Wednesday.

The initiative, named “Swacha Sundara Parvathipuram,” aims to transform the region into a model of cleanliness and environmental sustainability. The workshop, focusing on integrated and sustainable solid and liquid resource management (SLRM), gathered a diverse group of stakeholders, including district officials, civil society organisations, educational institutions, and business leaders.

C. Srinivasan, adviser to Swachha Andhra Corporation, challenged traditional perceptions of waste in his address. “Garbage to gold is our motto,” he noted, emphasizing that waste can serve as valuable raw material for industries, with the potential to create both wealth and employment opportunities. He demonstrated practical applications, showing how even unused vegetable parts could be transformed into valuable resources.

District collector A. Shyam Prasad highlighted the public health risks associated with poor sanitation, noting the prevalence of diseases like malaria, dengue, and chikungunya in the region due to inadequate waste management. “We are all thinking but not doing, and this is the right time to participate,” he urged, calling for voluntary community action and individual responsibility. The issue of open defecation was also addressed, with officials expressing concern over what they described as a decline in living standards.