Thiruvananthapuram: Governor P. Sathasivam, in his address to the state Assembly on Monday, said that Kerala government would also look at centralised ‘waste to energy’ plants in large cities, proposing it as a solution to waste dumps. The Governor possibly didn’t know about the capital city’s ‘disappearing dump sites,’ caused at least partly by decentralised waste management systems. Thiruvananthapuram corporation has been setting up aerobic bins mostly at dump sites after clearing them.
There are 282 aerobic bins at 30 sites. Bins are being set up at three more sites. In addition, there are 146 portable aerobic bins, covering every ward in the city. Kitchen bins are being set up at 39 wards. The change has been visible. For example, near YMCA at the secretariat, there is a site which was once notorious for the stink emanating from the heap of waste. What used to be a space where 4-8 tonnes of waste would be cleared is now a lawn. There are dumps which have been transformed to gardens at various parts of the city like Kunnukuzhy and Jayaprakash Nagar.
Dump sites at Chettikkulangara Road, Ramaswamy Kovil Road, Padmavilasam Road, Kothalam Junction, Bakery Junction-Lenin Nagar stretch, PMG-slaughterhouse Road, and several others have been cleared. At such places, night guards have been posted. On Market Road, where a full load of waste would be dumped, the quantity has come down. Some spaces like the Mosque Lane become more prone for garbage dumping as there is no light here. Corporation officials say that the waste dumps will further be reduced once the second phase of kitchen bin establishment is complete. However, this still would not cover the ones who dump chicken waste or the small private waste collection agencies which dump on the road. Officials say that once the penalties are enforced more strictly, these can be checked.
