The Hindu 19.06.2010
Karnataka to follow Kulithalai model of solid waste management
L. Renganathan 
TAKING CUE: Kulithalai Municipal Chairperson A. Amuthavel (right) explaining production of vermi compost to the Karnataka team at the Sathyamangalam yard on Saturday.
KULITHALAI: Inspired by the overwhelming success of the Kulithalai model of solid waste management nationwide in civic waste management circles, within a span of one year, a 21-member team comprising professionals and bureaucrats from Karnataka landed here on Saturday to study the model.
The team consisted of senior engineers, municipal chairpersons, commissioners and officials attached to the sanitation and solid waste management departments of various local bodies in Karnataka. The City Managers Association of Karnataka (CMAK), a quasi government body, sponsored the trip to the Kulithalai Municipality's compost yard at Sathyamangalam.
The members interacted with the local body members and officials from the Kulithalai Municipality for an on-the-spot assessment of the system and its utility. They hailed the Kulithalai Municipality for achieving the target of turning civic waste into public wealth besides sharing the experience
with other civic bodies .
Kulithalai Municipal Chairman A. Amuthavel and Commissioner Dhanalakshmi explained the process of freeing their town of garbage and civic waste . They made a power point presentation on the entire process . They informed the team members that in the last six months, the municipality has produced and sold around 20 tonnes of vermi compost earning Rs. 60,000 besides using around 15 tonnes of vermi compost and compost for greening seven acre compost yard at Sathyamangalam.
Mr. Amuthavel said the old compost yard near the bank of Cauvery proximate to Kulithalai would be turned into an eco park to drive home the message of eco conservation. The municipality has planned to put up a DEWATS in the town on public private partnership mode , he pointed out. Sapna, CMAK Coordinator, lauded the coordination among Karur district administration, the local representatives and non governmental voluntary organisations in carving out a niche for Kulithalai in solid waste management. Having learnt the utility of compost yards based on the Kulithalai model, at least three urban local bodies in Karnataka will establish such yards shortly.
Coordinator of EXNORA International V. Ganapathy, who has been advising the Kulithalai Municipality in its solid waste management endeavours, said that the town was drawing up a model city sanitation plan as per the guidelines of the National Urban Sanitation Policy.
