The Hindu 24.06.2013
Municipality to make source-level waste disposal system mandatory
To ask business houses to set up waste disposal units
The Kottayam Municipality has decided to make the
source-level waste disposal system mandatory for commercial
establishments. Municipal chairman M.P. Santhosh Kumar told
The Hindu
that the local body would ask the commercial establishments, especially
restaurants and other eateries, to set up their own waste disposal
units.
“The establishments will be provided a period
of three months to comply with the norm. Notices in this regard will be
distributed by municipal workers from Monday onwards,” he said.
According
to him, the restaurants and the abattoirs that dump waste materials at
public places have contributed a great deal to the waste management
problem.
“The successful implementation of the
guidelines could lead to a significant decrease in the quantity of
waste needed to be managed by the municipality.
The
licenses required for new establishments would be provided only if the
necessary facilities are ensured. The municipality would also resort to
measures including cancelling the licenses of existing establishments
that fail to comply with the system,” Mr. Kumar said.
He
said the municipality had commenced the distribution of biogas plants
for households as part of its source-level waste disposal programme.
“Two thousand units, each capable of processing 2.5 kg of waste per day,
are being provided. In addition to this, measures are also being taken
to distribute 2400 vermi-compost and pipe compost units.
The municipality will provide 4400 waste disposal units within a period of six months,” he said.
The
municipality is also planning to establish three biogas plants. Each of
them will be capable of processing two tonnes of waste. The biogas
plants will cost an amount of Rs 22 lakh per unit, he said. Talks are
also on with traders for procuring a mobile incinerator.
Vadavathoor
Regarding
the existing stalemate with the Vijayapuram grama panchayat on the
Vadavathoor dumping yard issue, Mr. Kumar said the stance of the grama
panchayat was unreasonable. “An immediate solution is impossible. The
waste that has accumulated over close to 70 years remained unprocessed
at the yard.
The municipality would require
the assistances of the State government and the Suchitwa Mission to
resolve the issue at the earliest,”he said.
