The Hindu 09.11.2009
Call to change approach to waste disposal management
Special Correspondent
| Workshop lays stress on environmental monitoring |
Thiruvananthapuram: A two-day workshop on Environment and Human Development organised by the Environment Management Agency, Kerala (EMAK) and the Kerala State Pollution Control Board earlier this week has recommended the use of alternative technology for treating municipal garbage and waste water.
The workshop, aimed at sensitising local self-government institutions to new technologies, stressed the need for focussing on minimisation, segregation and treatment of waste. Participants highlighted the importance of environmental monitoring. Soil biotechnology was suggested as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional waste management.
The discussions focussed on the link between the state of the environment and health hazards. Experts called on local bodies to adopt a community-based system for monitoring vector control dynamics. They suggested that initiatives like the Kudumbasree network could be used for the purpose.They also suggested common facilities like land fills and treatment plants for colonies.
Chief Secretary Neela Gangadharan inaugurated the workshop. In a paper presented at the workshop, Hariharan S.Shankar, professor, IIT, Mumbai, said soil biotechnology offered a green option of treating water.
Purifying waste water
The patented system, he said, was based on a biological conversion process using micro and macro organisms for purification of waste water generated by households and industries. The system could be used to purify drinking water and the water used in swimming pools, rainwater harvesting mechanisms and waste water.
