KOCHI: In a land that is infamous for its littering and dumping garbage at public places, Thiruvananthapuram is all set to become a model district. In an initiative worth emulating, the district has unveiled a project called Udhyanam intending to convert 36 dumpsites in and around the city into gardens and, thereby creating a web of self-sustainable spaces.
Thanks to a team of dedicated leaders, stakeholders and volunteers, this project has commenced and is now underway at the Jawahar Nagar stretch in Kowdiar, where it was inaugurated on June 10. The project funded by Terumo Penpol is executed by Change Can Change Climate Change, a collective of various organisations and associations that work towards transforming the district into a sustainable and healthy living space.
“We are launching an ambitious project to create a network of environmentally and financially sustainable social entrepreneurship models,” said K Vasuki, District Collector. “This is an effort to showcase an alternate lifestyle which will be in tune with climate change adaptation. This is quite a revolutionary step towards climate change adaptation. Though this is a very small beginning and I am sure the process will be slow, this is the first time we are trying to create social entrepreneurship for green practices. Also, here we are trying to bring the younger generation into the loop so they would take these practices forward.”
Headed by Vasuki and the Minister of Cooperation, Tourism and Devaswom, Kadakampally Surendran, Udhyanam runs in collaboration with various other stakeholders in the district including clubs, residents associations, student volunteers, business associations like CII, BAI, TCCI, TATF and organisations such as NSS, Nehru Yuvakendra, etc.
A trial on how to execute a perfect dumpsite clearance was conducted in 2015, during the Commonwealth Games with “Ammu (mascot of National Games) and Kathu (mascot of Suchitwa Mission) cleaning venues”. The volunteers working for Udhyanam would follow a similar modus operandi as they segregate the waste collected into biodegradable and non-biodegradable (NBD).
According to authorities, the biodegradable waste will first be filled into grow bags and then it will be inoculated with microbes and left for 15 days. After that, ornamental plants will be planted in these grow bags thus converting the dumpsite into a garden. At the same time, the area cannot be used for food cultivation of any kind, as there would be traces of NBD waste. The latter, on the other hand, will be forwarded to the Corporation for secondary segregation and recycling.
It is said the beautification of the area will not end here as the project also involves painting of walls around the dumpsite via Arteria.“This project has the potential to make Thiruvananthapuram one of the cleanest cities in the country,” says Terumo Penpol CMD C Padmakumar. “Contrary to the usual waste clearance system where the waste cleared from one place is, in turn, dumped elsewhere, Udhyanam project takes a sustainable approach to waste management. We will identify the dumpsites with the help of residents’ associations.”
Meanwhile, C N Manoj, head of projects and Trustee of Pelican Foundation, claims the Udhyanam project will function as a financially self-sustainable model as the expenses will be met through local sponsorship and income generation schemes.
“In this project, we aim to convert dump yards into self-sustainable and useful spaces of aesthetic value. In most cases, projects like these will turn out to be extremely expensive in the long run. However, Udhyanam will function as a financially self-sustainable model. Moreover, these spaces thus created will facilitate better social interaction in this era of virtual communication,” says Manoj.
Those interested in volunteering for the activities may contact 9061964333 or mail cpower5.tvpm@gmail.com