The Hindu 18.02.2014
Waste management gets a fillip
Kottayam municipal authorities, reeling under pressure
over their failure to meet commitments on the waste management front,
have received a fillip in the form of a green signal from the Central
government for a Rs.18.95-crore project submitted earlier.
Speaking
to reporters here on Monday, municipal chairman M.P. Santhosh Kumar
said the project had been included in the Urban Infrastructure
Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) being
implemented by the Union Ministry of Urban Development. The project
would have to be implemented within two years. While the Central
government would chip in with 80 per cent of the expenses, the rest
would have to be borne by the State government and the municipal council
equally, he said.
The comprehensive project
envisages waste management at source, decentralised waste management,
infrastructure and logistics for movement of municipal waste and a major
awareness campaign among the population.
The
municipality could modernise the drainage system using Rs. 50 lakh
earmarked for the purpose, he said. The project also provides for
procurement of a JCB, a mini tipper, etc., for transportation of the
waste. A compactor vehicle to compress municipal waste while on the move
so that its quantum could be lowered was also included in the list, he
added.
A special component of the project would be
the scheme for Vadavathoor dumping yard, he said. The project has
earmarked Rs.2.5 crore for the scientific processing of accumulated
waste. The problem of leachet which aggravates during the monsoon could
be addressed to some extent through the construction of a scientifically
designed 900-metre-long drainage system.
The project
envisages a major initiative in the area of waste processing at source.
As per the scheme, 4,000 households will be provided biogas plants at a
cost of Rs.7 crore.