KOCHI: Following the disastrous spell of the flood, the widespread cleaning activities in Kochi has made the city even more vulnerable to live. The residents have moved on with their life by removing the damaged goods and other waste materials. However, due to the unavailability of Kudumbashree workers from Kochi Corporation who regularly collects the household non-degradable wastes, residents are resorting to burning their unwanted items in their vicinity. In a nutshell, Kochiites are inhaling the hazardous air in the post-flood days.
Shop owners, who frequently resort to burning waste, blame Corporation of its complete inactivity.
“As Kudumbhashree workers hardly visit us, we sell our waste materials to waste pickers from other states. But they won’t take every material. Whatever remains, we set them on fire in the nearby unused land,” said a shop owner at Palarivattom.
Echoing the same, Hashim, a fancy shop owner on High Court junction, said “We are ready to pay the monthly fee to Corporation to collect these waste materials. Placing a wastebasket in every junction will help us to gather the waste and ease their work.”“No one is there to check these dumping. Many people from various parts of the city, including the shop owners, are simply throwing their waste here. Few of them burn them at night. The foul smell will be there even in the morning,” says Manikyam, a hawker who lives on the street in Kaloor.
Unhealthy morning walks
Senior citizens across the city are finding it difficult to engage in their morning walks due to the contaminated air. “Our mornings are filled with the stinking smell of burned plastics. It has become a routine here. Even if you resort to doing yoga in your bedroom, you have no other option, but to breath it,” says Susheela Menon, a senior citizen from Tripunithura.
The youngsters, who set out for coaching classes and training sessions, are also bearing the brunt. “I used to walk till my tuition centre as it’s the only physical exercise I managed to do. But the waste and its burning have compelled me to opt out of it,”says Arun, a student.
Earlier, Minimol VK, health standing committee chairperson, Kochi Corporation said Kudumbhashree workers are yet to be active due to an array of Onam holidays and flood-related works.
“We have convened a meeting of workers and asked them not to skip days anymore,” said Minimol.