Urban News

The Hindu      24.11.2010

Garbage segregation campaign launched

ONGOLE: Spurred by success of the garbage segregation scheme in Markapur town, Mines Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy launched the garbage segregation campaign by the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas(MEPMA) in Puli Venkata Reddy colony here on Tuesday.

The Minister stressed the need for segregation of solid waste into bio-degradable and non-bio degradable to make the task of the civic body easy.

MEPMA resource persons offered Kumkuma to touch the heart of womenfolk before explaining them the need for shun the practice of putting the unsegregated waste on the roadside, resulting in clogged drains and spread of seasonal diseases.

MEPMA Project Director B Ravi said ‘‘we have provided training for 36 resource persons drawn from women Self Help Groups(SHGs). Each resource person will cover about 500 houses and explain that they could make some money too by keeping aside scrap and selling them every 10 days or so.

Initially, the segregation at the source level would be taken in five to six wards before extending it to all the 36 wards in the town, he added.

The Hindu      20.11.2010

Expert stresses systematic waste disposal

Staff Reporter Photo: G.N.Rao

Singareni Collieries Company Ltd General Manager (Environment) S Mohan Rao addressing a State-level symposium on “Solid waste management” at Kothagudem in Khammam district on Friday. –

KHAMMAM: Systematic reduction and disposal of waste besides optimum utilisation of solid waste management technologies holds the key to protect the environment, said A. Subba Rao, Joint Chief Environmental Engineer of the AP Pollution Control Board (APPCB).

Symposium

Mr Rao, who is the in-charge zonal officer, APPCB, Zonal Office, Vijayawada, was speaking at a State-level symposium on “Solid waste management” organised by the department of chemistry, Singareni Collieries Women's Degree College in Kothagudem on Friday. In his inaugural address, Mr Rao said the solid waste production witnessed a multi-fold increase from six million tonnes per annum in 1947 to 42 million tonnes now in the country. This has in turn posed grave environmental hazards threatening the eco-system and serious ramifications for public health, he said.

Surat in Gujarat bore the brunt of plague devastation in 1994, he said and added that Surat subsequently emerged as a healthy city by following prudent municipal solid waste management techniques with the active participation of people.

Adoption of modern technologies like generation of electricity from waste would help check environmental pollution and save the earth, he remarked. The remaining speakers dwelt on various aspects of solid wastes, their generation and disposal, newer technologies in the field of environmental monitoring and restoration besides conversion of waste to wealth.

Singareni Education Society secretary C Simhachalam, SCCL General Manager (Environment) S Mohan Rao, college principal M Kamala Rani, noted science writer C. Krishna Kumari, environmental engineer, APPCB, regional office, Kothagudem, M. Nagarjuna and others spoke.

A souvenir on “Paryavarana Parirakshana – Samarthavanthanga Vyarthala Viniyogam” was released on the occasion.