The Hindu 04.01.2014
Municipality tests alternative methods to solve waste menace
Warns against littering town; refuse being buried in landfills
With no end in sight to the Vadavathoor dumping yard issue, the Kottayam Municipality has adopted alternative measures to contain the problem of garbage accumulation in the town.
The local body has formed squads to check littering in public places. Municipal authorities have cautioned that strict action will be taken against those dumping garbage at undesignated points. In addition, the municipality has also commenced burning of wastes such as paper and related articles in a bid to reduce the severity of the problem. However, the action of the municipality is creating inconvenience for local residents.
The success of the newly adopted measures depends on the cooperation of residents. Wastes are also being buried in landfills as a temporary solution. The municipal authorities have sought the intervention of the State government to resolve the Vadavathoor issue. Municipal chairman M.P. Santhosh Kumar met Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Transport Minister and local MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan on Thursday to convey the seriousness of the problem. Urban Affairs Minister Manjalamkuzhy Ali has also been informed of the situation in a complaint, according to Mr. Kumar. District Collector Ajit Kumar also submitted a report on behalf of the district administration to the government on Friday.
According to the municipal chairman, the local body has done all it could within a short duration of six months to reduce the amount of wastes transported to the dumping yard. The daily volume of wastes generated has been brought down from 30 tonnes to five tonnes. While several measures including obtaining biogas plants have been initiated, many of them could not be implemented because of procedural delays.
Central funds
He also said the municipality was likely to get Central funds under the Urban Infrastructure Development for Small and Medium Towns (UDISSMT) scheme for two projects soon. It would be provided Rs.180 crore for a comprehensive water supply scheme and Rs.18.66 crore for a solid waste management project.
Meanwhile, the municipal authorities are also pursuing other options being proposed by voluntary organisations and commercial establishments. Currently, cellular anaerobic digestion (CAD), a method designed by ‘Litter Watt’, an enterprise registered with the KSEDM of the Kerala Financial Corporation, is being tested. For this, around 15 tonnes of wastes have been stored in a container. As claimed by the entrepreneurs, the wastes will be converted into biogas and leachate after a period of 20-30 days.
